The only downside is that one of these teams has to lose before the finals. Arguably the two best squads in the WNBA, the Storm and Aces, are set to play a best-of-five series starting on Sunday to have a chance to play for a championship. The Storm last won in 2020. The Aces have never won.

The matchup is noteworthy for a number of reasons, but most timely is that this combination of teams gave us the most-watched WNBA game since 2008 just more than a week ago on ABC as 1.1 million viewers tuned in. That’s a staggering amount of fans, and it was for a regular season game with mere playoff seeding implications. This is the real thing.

Anyone inquiring about a good time to start watching the W should be directed to ESPN this weekend. Seven former No. 1 picks — an NBA and WNBA all-time record — will square off. Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Tina Charles on one side, and back-to-back-to-back No. 1s Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young on the other.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Not only are Bird and legendary defender Briann January playing in their final seasons, Charles is playing with revenge on the brain as she left her now-eliminated former Mercury team midseason, and the two favorites for an MVP award that will be announced in two weeks, Wilson and Stewart, will lead their respective squads. 

Add to that the league’s biggest breakout scorer in Plum, favorite for Most Improved Player Young, clutchest scorer in the world Chelsea Gray, and sharpshooter Loyd, and this series will have something for everyone.

Buckle up.