The Washington Mystics had a very underwhelming campaign as they finished with just a 19-21 record in the regular season. Nonetheless, that did not prevent the Mystics from qualifying for the 2023 WNBA Playoffs as they made it as the 7th seed. Their reward? A first-round date with Breanna Stewart and her newly-formed superteam with the New York Liberty alongside mainstay Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot.

For all intents and purposes, despite how the regular season matchups have gone, the Mystics likely won't advance past Stewie and company. Not with the way New York has played this season. The Liberty lost just eight games in the regular season and won the 2023 Commissioner's Cup in August over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Still, basketball is a beautiful sport and absolutely anything can happen. As loaded as the Liberty are, you can't ignore the fact that Washington still has a lot of talent across its roster and is led by a two-time MVP in Elena Delle Donne who just had a resurgence age-34 campaign.

With that said, the improbable is still hard to write off. Here are two reasons the Washington Mystics can pull off the upset and stun the New York Liberty in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs.

1. Elena Delle Donne is back

Elena Delle Donne may be on the tail end of her career, but the two-time league MVP regained the fountain of youth this past season. Delle Donne had been dealing with back issues that made even the most mundane things such as going out for dinner difficult. The 34-year-old has since made it back to the court healthy.

In 2023, she made the All-Star team for the first time in four years with averages of 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. She still led the team in points per game and tallied a total of seven 20-point outings, including a season-high 31 points in a loss to the Atlanta Dream. Though the Mystics finished below .500 with just a 19-21 record, Washington had a 13-10 mark with Delle Donne in uniform.

She may no longer be the lights out scorer in her prime that could drop 20 points on any given night. But Delle Donne is still one of the most effective veteran leaders in the WNBA.

2. Mystics may have psychological edge on Liberty

The Mystics could also be on the back of the heads of the New York Liberty. They are the only team the Liberty did not have a winning record against this season as the two split their four encounters this season. The Mystics also had the last laugh in their most recent encounter when Brittney Sykes sank a dagger of a game-winner that took the air out of Barclay's Center.

It's safe to say Washington was New York's toughest matchup this season. Against the Mystics, the Liberty shot just 39.9 percent, which is the worst they shot against any team this season. Washington also forced New York to commit 17.3 turnovers per game, which is, again, the most the Liberty did against any team this season.

This first round matchup couldn't have gone any better for Washington (or worse for New York). The mental aspect is underrated part of the game. If the Mystics are in the heads of the Liberty, an upset is very well a possibility for this series.