Ranking The Five-Best WNBA Games In 2022

After what was arguably the league's most successful season ever, the anticipation for the 2022 WNBA season is at an all-time high. So what other way to keep building on that momentum than by releasing next season's schedule? That's what the WNBA chose to do last Thursday, so fans of the league can now start planning their schedule around next season's tip-off on May 6th.

Make no mistake: the W will provide plenty of action every night, but here are the five absolute can't-miss games for the 2022 WNBA regular season.

It's opening night, and not only will we see the hometown hero (Candace Parker) and home team (Chicago Sky) receive their rings at home, but they'll do so in front of Parker's former team, the Los Angeles Sparks. When Parker and guards Kahleah Copper and Courtney Vandersloot square off against former MVP Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler, it's the definition of must-see TV.

Besides having a massive amount of star power between the two of them (Diana Taurasi, A'ja Wilson, Liz Cambage, and Brittney Griner), the Mercury and the Aces are battle-tested. Their match-up on opening night will be a fitting sequel to their epic playoff battles last year, when the Mercury upset the second-seeded Aces in a decisive Game Five on the road in the semifinals.

Fewer things scream "must-see TV" more than a rematch of the previous year's Finals. For both the Mercury and Sky, this is a substantial measuring-stick kind of game and it'll have a playoff-atmosphere as a result.

Even though the Eastern and Western Conference competitors will be facing each other for the third time at this point of the season, the date of this matchup gives it more importance. With three weeks remaining before the All-Star break, will Sabrina Ionescu and the upstart New York Liberty be able to build on their gains of last season? Will the Storm remain their usually competitive selves, despite Sue Bird's potential retirement? When the Liberty and the Storm square off, it'll be a fascinating barometer for who these teams are and who they may become.

Lost in the noise of last year's playoff race, the Dallas Wings snuck in as the seventh-seed because of their late-season play. Guard Arike Ogunbowale is coming off of three consecutive seasons with at least 18 points per game, and this game is likely to help determine the Wings' playoff push-- especially with the season concluding ten days later.