NEWS » (69.632) for the Vare Trophy presented to th

NEW YORK -- The WNBA playoffs are ready to start with their own version of March Madness. Well sort of.The league changed the playoff format this season, adopting single-elimination games in the first two rounds before going to a best-of-five series in the semifinals.Im excited for it, said Los Angeles Sparks coach Brian Agler. No one knows yet how it will work out, but it should be exciting.The Sparks and Minnesota Lynx have byes until the semifinals after posting the top two records in the leagues 20th season. Minnesota will try to become the WNBAs first repeat champion since Los Angeles did it in 2001-02. Thats the last time the Sparks won a title, a skid they hope to end this season.Here are a few things to look for when the postseason begins Wednesday with the Atlanta Dream hosting the Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever taking on the Phoenix Mercury:INJURY STATUS: Elena Delle Donne is sidelined after having surgery on her right thumb last week. The Sky have found ways to win without their star, clinching the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye. It might be difficult for Chicago to make a deep run without the 2015 WNBA MVP. ... New York has been beset by injuries toward the end of the season. Tanisha Wright (knee) played a few games before the regular season ended. Kiah Stokes hasnt played since Aug. 26 because of a hip injury. Shoni Schimmel also has been out with a concussion. The Liberty need to be healthy to have a chance to make it to the Finals.SUSPENDED: The WNBA handed out a one-game suspension to Atlantas Tiffany Hayes for accruing her seventh technical foul in the Dreams regular season finale on Sunday. Under league rules, a player is automatically suspended one game when that number of technical is reached. The count is reset for the playoffs with a player receiving a suspension for a fourth technical in the playoffs.CURTAIN CALL: The stellar careers of Swin Cash , Tamika Catchings and Penny Taylor will end at some point over the next month. All three hope it will come after winning another WNBA Championship. Catchings and Taylor will square off on Wednesday when the Indiana Fever host the Phoenix Mercury in the opening round.Catchings won her lone title in 2012 while Cash won in 2003, 2006 and 2010. Taylor helped the Mercury to championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014.POSTSEASON SUCCESS: Breanna Stewart only lost one game in the postseason in college and that came in the Big East tournament her freshman year. She was a perfect 24 for 24 in the NCAA Tournament to lead UConn to four consecutive national championships. She hopes to continue that in the pros.I like the format, Stewart said after the Storms last trip to New York. 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Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. NAPLES, Fla. -- Shanshan Feng was right back on top of an LPGA Tour leaderboard Thursday, shooting a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over So Yeon Ryu and Charley Hull after the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship.Coming off consecutive victories in Malaysia and Japan, Feng is one of nine players who entered the season finale with a chance to win the Race to the CME Globe season title and $1 million bonus. The Chinese star won in 2013 at Tiburon Golf Club.Somehow, the course is playing longer compared to three years ago, Feng said. I dont know, maybe because Im getting older Im hitting shorter.Ha Na Jang, Sei Young Kim, In Gee Chun, Amy Yang, Lizette Salas, Beatriz Recari, Ryann OToole and Mo Martin all shot 68.Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 70. She needs a win this week to secure player of the year honors,Ariya Jutanugarn and Brooke Henderson, who like Ko are guaranteed the points crown if they prevail this week, each shot 72.Feng has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last seven events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea before winning in Malaysia and Japan. She took last week off, practicing only three days in Orlando.I think after the Asian wave, were just so tired. I think I needed the rest, Feng said. I feel actually pretty fresh coming into this week. ... Ive been playing well, so just wanted to keep up with the good playing.Feng birdied four of the last six holes -- the par-4 13th, par-5 14th, par-3 16th and par-5 17th -- in her bogey-free rouund.dddddddddddd She made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 first hole and also birdied the par-3 eighth.Ryu won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2014.What I learned through this year, having like swing change this year, sometimes I just think about swing too much, Ryu said. So what I learned through that is I just rather more focus to like imagination. Just keep imagine how the ball is going to fly and what shot I am going to hit instead of where is my hand going to be, my wrist.Hull birdied the final four holes on the front nine and also birdied the 14th. She also was off last week after being delayed getting out of Japan.I was only home for four days, the 20-year-old English player said. I didnt touch a golf club. Hung out with my friends. I think I only touched a golf club once or twice last week.Carlota Ciganda had a 75. She won her first LPGA Tour title last month in South Korea and won the event in Mexico City on Sunday.Ko and Jutanugarn are fighting for the big year-end honors.Only a win would be enough to give Ko her second straight player-of-the-year award; any other result, and that title goes to Jutanugarn. They came in separated by $17,305 in the money standings, and Ko (69.611) enters with a minuscule edge over Chun (69.632) for the Vare Trophy presented to the player with the lowest scoring average.The points in the CME Globe standings reset for the finale, so Jutanugarn, Ko and Henderson all truly control their destinies when it comes to the $1 million bonus that goes to the points champion. 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