Note: WNBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Tuesday during the season, are the opinion of this writer and do not reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

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We have hit the closing week of the regular season and the playoff picture is finally starting to come into focus.

The top three seeds are set with Minnesota at No. 1, Los Angeles at No. 2 and New York at No. 3. That leaves one spot open that earns a first-round playoff bye and three teams with equal 16-15 records — Indiana, Atlanta and Chicago — vying to lock it up.

All three of those teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs, as has the surging Seattle Storm, who have won four straight games and currently occupy the No. 7 seed. There is one final playoff spot to be filled and all signs point to Phoenix edging out Washington to round out the field.

The Mercury have a two-game lead over the Mystics with three games to play and also own the head-to-head tiebreaker by sweeping the season series 3-0. For Phoenix to miss the playoffs, they would have to lose their final three games while Washington wins all three of theirs.

Even without a tight race for the final playoff berth, there will be plenty of drama surrounding how the bottom five seeds round out and the first-round playoff matchups that will ensue. Keep in mind the first two rounds of the playoffs are single elimination, so a favorable matchup and home-court advantage are incredibly important.

Now, on to the rankings…

Click here to view this week’s AP Power Poll

1. Minnesota Lynx

Last Week: 1
2016 Record: 26-5 (clinched No. 1 seed)
OffRtg: 106.9 (2); DefRtg: 95.4 (1); NetRtg: 11.5 (1)

The Lynx dropped their first game out of the Olympic break, but have been a perfect 5-0 since as they locked up the top overall seed in the playoffs. The quest to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2002 is almost here and the Lynx have put themselves in the most favorable position possible to accomplish that feat.

2. Los Angeles Sparks

Last Week: 2
2016 Record: 24-8 (clinched No. 2 seed)
OffRtg: 106.7 (3); DefRtg: 97.3 (2); NetRtg: 9.4 (2)

On July 15, the L.A. Sparks improved to 20-1 to tie the 1998 Houston Comets for the best start in WNBA history. Since then, they are 4-7 and riding a three-game losing streak. The good news for the Sparks is that they were so dominant before the Olympic break that they’ve clinched the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and the double-bye that comes with it. But they need to take advantage of their final two regular season games to try to recapture that pre-Olympic brilliance.

3. New York Liberty

Last Week: 3
2016 Record: 21-11 (clinched No. 3 seed)
OffRtg: 101.4 (9); DefRtg: 99.1 (3); NetRtg: 2.3 (3)

The Liberty have secured a first-round bye and as the No. 3 seed in the tournament they will face the lowest seed that advances out of the first round. However, the Liberty have been inconsistent since the Olympic break, trading wins and losses over their six games since the season resumed in late July.

4. Indiana Fever

Last Week: 7
2016 Record: 16-15 (clinched playoff berth)
OffRtg: 102.2 (8); DefRtg: 103.4 (6); NetRtg: -1.2 (7)

If the season ended today, the Fever would claim the No. 4 seed (and the first-round playoff bye) by owning the tiebreaker over Atlanta and Chicago, who share Indiana’s 16-15 record. The Fever rose to this position thanks to a three-game win streak with single-digit victories over San Antonio, Chicago and Washington. The Fever have three games to play as they try to hold onto their position, with matchups against two teams already eliminated from playoff contention (Connecticut and Dallas) and a team that has already locked up the top seed (Minnesota).

5. Atlanta Dream

Last Week: 5
2016 Record: 16-15 (clinched playoff berth)
OffRtg: 100.1 (11); DefRtg: 102.7 (4); NetRtg: -2.6 (9)

The Dream have three games to play as they try to break out of the tie with Indiana and Chicago and earn the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye. They will begin that run on Tuesday without star forward Angel McCoughtry, who has been suspended for the game due to her accumulation of technical fouls. While there is never a good time to not have the league’s fourth-leading scorer in the lineup, the Dream get a break with a matchup with a San Antonio squad that has won just six games and is riding a six-game losing streak.

6. Seattle Storm

Last Week: 8
2016 Record: 15-17 (clinched playoff berth)
OffRtg: 104.3 (5); DefRtg: 103.0 (5); NetRtg: 1.3 (4)

After a two-year absence, the Seattle Storm are back in the WNBA playoffs. Seattle enters the final week as one of the league’s hottest teams, currently riding a four-game win streak in which they have won games by an averaged of 14 points. The Storm hit the jackpot by winning the Draft Lottery in each of the two years they missed the playoffs and turned those picks into what will be back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners and the new cornerstones of their franchise.

7. Chicago Sky

Last Week: 4
2016 Record: 16-15 (clinched playoff berth)
OffRtg: 107.3 (1); DefRtg: 107.0 (11); NetRtg: 0.4 (5)

The Sky released a statement on Monday that nobody in the WNBA — especially in Chicago — wanted to see. Reigning MVP and scoring champion Elena Delle Donne, who was playing her best ball of the season, will undergo surgery on Tuesday repair her right thumb and is out indefinitely. While “there is no set timetable for Delle Donne’s return” offers a glimmer of hope that she may be back for the playoffs, we may very well have seen the last of EDD this season.

8. Phoenix Mercury

Last Week: 6
2016 Record: 14-17
OffRtg: 104.4 (4); DefRtg: 104.4 (9); NetRtg: 0.0 (6)

The Mercury need just one win or a Mystics loss to secure the final spot in the playoffs. Assuming they get in, the Mercury will be one of the most dangerous lower seeds in the tournament, especially with the first two rounds being single-elimination. While the Mercury have not lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon them this season, there is no denying that they have a roster loaded with enough talent to make a deep playoff run. Especially if Brittney Griner keeps up her current level of play. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks since the Olympics.

9. Washington Mystics

Last Week: 10
2016 Record: 12-19
OffRtg: 102.5 (7); DefRtg: 104.7 (10); NetRtg: -2.2 (8)

At this point, all the Mystics can do is play out the rest of their schedule, try to win out and hope the Mercury hit a three-game losing streak this week. In all likelihood, Washington’s streak of three straight playoff appearances will come to an end this week.

10. Connecticut Sun

Last Week: 9 (eliminated from playoffs)
2016 Record: 11-20
OffRtg: 100.3 (10); DefRtg: 103.8 (7); NetRtg: -3.5 (10)

After winning three of their first four games out of the break to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Sun suffered a three-game losing streak to end their bid for the postseason. This will be Connecticut’s fourth straight season without a playoff appearance — the longest active streak in the league.

11. Dallas Wings

Last Week: 11 (eliminated from playoffs)
2016 Record: 11-21
OffRtg: 102.7 (6); DefRtg: 107.7 (12); NetRtg: -5.0 (11)

The Wings finally snapped their 11-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over San Antonio and New York over the weekend. Their 84-81 win over the Liberty was their final home game of their first season in Texas, so at least they bid farewell to the home fans until next season with a W.

12. San Antonio Stars

Last Week: 12 (eliminated from playoffs)
2016 Record: 6-25
OffRtg: 93.6 (12); DefRtg: 104.2 (8); NetRtg: -10.6 (12)

The Stars will close out the 2016 season with road games in Atlanta and Los Angeles before returning to San Antonio for their season finale on Sunday against Phoenix. That game will be a farewell for longtime coach Dan Hughes as well as center Jayne Appel-Marinelli, who announced last week that she would retire at the end of the season to conclude her seven-year WNBA career.

ASSOCIATED PRESS POWER POLL

1. Minnesota
2. Los Angeles
3. New York
4. Atlanta
5. Indiana
6. Chicago
7. Seattle
8. Phoenix
9. Washington
10. Connecticut
11. Dallas
12. San Antonio

Click here to view the full rankings on AP.org