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Kim O'Reilly, CBS Sports

So much of sports is about timing, and the New York Liberty appear to be peaking at just the right moment. Even when the hastily assembled superteam was racking up wins early in the season, the performances were disjointed and not always convincing. A few months and a few dozen games later, the growing familiarity and overwhelming talent is wreaking havoc on the league. 

Even the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, have felt their wrath, losing three times to the Liberty in August in all competitions, including on Monday night in yet another uncompetitive contest between the clubs. With that success, the Liberty have now won four games in a row, and 11 of their last 12 including the Commissioner's Cup championship game; the sole loss came against the Aces on the road on Aug. 17. 

During that stretch, the Liberty have a 111.8 offensive rating, 94.9 defensive rating and plus-16.9 net rating, all of which are the best marks in the league. They are absolutely crushing most opponents – they have multiple 30-point wins and have won seven of those 11 games by double digits – and grinding out tough wins when necessary, such as their overtime dogfight against the Connecticut Sun. 

Coming into the season, the Aces and Liberty were 1A and 1B, with little to separate them on paper. For much of the summer, though, the Aces dominance on both sides of the ball established a clear hierarchy with them looking down on the Liberty from a tier above. That's changed in the last few weeks, and now the Liberty are the team to beat. 

1. New York Liberty (28-7) – Last week No. 2

There's a new number one in town. For the third time in their last four meetings, the Liberty beat the Aces with ease on Monday to extend their winning streak to four games and draw within 1.5 games of the No. 1 overall seed. While titles aren't won in August, there's no question that the Liberty have been the best team in the league over the last few weeks, and deserve the top spot as we enter the stretch run. 

2.  Las Vegas Aces (30-6) – Last week No. 1

Whether it's fatigue from a long road trip and grueling season, a sense of complacency after setting the regular-season wins record, or a combination of both, the Aces have been all out of sorts lately. Their defeat to the Liberty on Monday was the first time they've lost back-to-back games all season, and after a historic 24-2 start they are just 6-4 in their last 10 games. 

3. Connecticut Sun (24-11) – Last week No. 3

The Sun's fourth-quarter collapse and eventual overtime defeat against the Liberty essentially locked them into the No. 3 seed. They're 3.5 games behind the Liberty and five games ahead of the Wings with five games to play. The bad news is that barring a big upset, they'll only have home-court advantage in the first round. The good news is they can start getting players rest and preparing for the playoffs. 

4. Dallas Wings (19-16) – Last week No. 4

This was a rough week for the Wings, who dropped back-to-back games to the Lynx and lost Satou Sabally to a sprained ankle in controversial circumstances. After she went down in Minnesota, a group of fans were ejected from the game for heckling her, prompting an apology from Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. Sabally took to Twitter to call the Lynx fan base "disgusting" in the aftermath. 

5. Washington Mystics (16-18) – Last week No. 8

We may officially be on Mystics watch now. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and Ariel Atkins all not only played, but looked pretty close to themselves in the Mystics' big win over the Aces. Kristi Toliver is on her way back as well, and the Mystics just might be fully healthy come playoff time. The big question is where they can get to in the standings; they currently sit in sixth place in a crowded middle of the pack. 

6. Los Angeles Sparks (15-19) – Last week No. 6

The Sparks extended their winning streak to six games – their longest since 2020 – before it was eventually brought to a halt by the Sun. But even with the defeat they remain in control of the eighth and final playoff spot as they look to avoid a franchise-worst postseason drought. This is a crucial week ahead, as they'll face the Sky, Storm and Mystics at home, which is by far their easiest remaining stretch. 

7. Minnesota Lynx (17-18) – Last week No. 6

Perhaps it's time to just give up on predicting what the Lynx are going to do on a night-to-night basis. They started the week with two huge wins over the Wings, then got absolutely embarrassed by the Liberty at home. No other team is as prone to getting blown out as the Lynx. There have been seven games in the league decided by 30 points or more this season and the Lynx have been on the wrong end of three of them. 

8. Atlanta Dream (16-19) – Last week No. 5

The Dream have had some rough stretches this season, but this might be the worst of them all. It's not just that they've lost three games in a row for the fourth different time this season, it's the manner of the defeats. They gave up a 16-point lead to the Sparks, which prompted coach Tanisha Wright to say her team needs to "grow up," then blew a 10-point lead in the final three minutes to lose to the Fever in their very next outing. Safe to say they have not gotten Wright's message.  

9. Chicago Sky (14-21) – Last week No. 10

There is still some hope for the Sky, who took advantage of their schedule this week to stop their five-game skid with two wins over the Storm. As a result they remain within striking distance of the Sparks ahead of their crucial showdown on Tuesday which will be one of the most important games of the entire regular season. The Sky are desperate to make the playoffs after trading away their 2024 first-round pick, and that game could make or break their chances. 

10. Indiana Fever (11-24) – Last week No. 11

The Fever are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league. Their thrilling comeback win over the Dream extended their winning streak to three games – their longest since 2021 – and, at least temporarily, kept their playoff hopes alive. This run is going to wind up being too little, too late, but it's another reminder that despite their record, this isn't the same old Fever. With 11 victories have matched their win total from the last two seasons combined. 

11. Seattle Storm (10-25) – Last week No. 9

For the first time since 2015, the Storm will not be participating in the playoffs. They were eliminated on Sunday with their loss to the Sky, which concluded in bizarre fashion when the Storm simply gave up with 15 seconds to play. They probably weren't going to make up a five-point deficit in that amount of time, but it was still strange that they didn't even try when their season was on the line. 

12. Phoenix Mercury (9-25) – Last week No. 11

The longest active postseason streak in the league is no more. Phoenix was officially eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since 2012 with Sunday's defeat to Dallas, which happened in unbelievable fashion when Moriah Jefferson's potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer resulted in a wedgie. That was the fifth consecutive defeat for the Mercury, who have faded down the stretch and are on their way to one of the worst seasons in franchise history.