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With the league's best record and a pair of MVP candidates, defending champion Minnesota is the favorite when the 2012 WNBA playoffs open Thursday.

The WNBA just had a month-long break, but the playoff push will be intense from the get-go when games resume Thursday.

The start of any WNBA season hinges on how quickly teams jell with new combinations and how players perform after their overseas experiences. But which teams deal best after the monthlong break for the Olympics might have the biggest impact this season.

Can the reigning WNBA champions "storm" back in the season's second half?

All-Star Game MVP Swin Cash, Seattle Storm look to regain their championship form going into the second half of the WNBA season.

WNBA seasons aren't made in June, but the Liberty could set a tone this month that they are not dropping off from 2010.

Only two teams have been able to win back-to-back WNBA championships. But on the eve of the 2011 season, defending champion Seattle is the favorite.

Most WNBA teams made draft picks Monday that made sense and helped fill a need in their current rosters.

What do we really know about each playoff team? Mechelle Voepel identifies three strengths each team's opponent must focus on in the WNBA playoffs.

For the first time in franchise history, the Mystics grabbed a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But any of the four East teams could play its way into the WNBA finals.

So here we are a week into the WNBA season, and everything is working out precisely as we all thought it would to this point, right? Not entirely. Chicago's struggles? Not very surprising. But Atlanta's hot start? I admit I wasn't expecting the Drea...

Which teams will wind up in the WNBA conference finals? Here's our take on who will win the first-round playoff matchups.

Like most businesses in these difficult economic times, the WNBA has been forced to cut costs and make changes. But, especially because extravagance has never been part of the WNBA, the league continues to grow despite the financial climate.

The WNBA All-Star Game will be showcase of the league's best players -- who aren't hobbled, still getting back in form after giving birth, or out for the season with something torn or ruptured.

Losing records for L.A. and Detroit? Washington and Chicago on top in the East? A coach quits and a career already capped? It has been that jam-packed of a fortnight for the WNBA.

Some of the best players the WNBA has ever seen are preparing for what likely will be their final season in the league. So enjoy them -- and a collection of talent we might not see again -- while you can.