The Las Vegas Aces vs the Indiana Fever series has been through a lot, with both teams having their fair share of adversity in the games. But one thing that remained constant between them was the physicality. The Aces HC Becky Hammon slammed the increased physicality in the league after Game 1 loss, while Stephanie White also pointed out some ‘missed foul calls’ after Game 2.
Amid all this, the Aces’ head coach received support from none other than superstar Brittney Griner, who has been in the league for 12 years now and has experienced the pattern change.
Brittney Griner Supports Becky Hammon
After the Game 1 loss, Hammon blasted her players for their poor defensive display, but at the same time criticized the growing physicality in the league. She compared the game with the NBA and highlighted that even the men’s league doesn’t allow such a level of physical play.
“Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they’re like, this would not fly in the NBA. This level of physicality would not fly in the NBA. There would be fights. There would be fights. We just have very well-mannered women that can get to the next play, but there would be fights,” Hammon said.
The champion HC received support from Brittney Griner. Sharing Becky Hammon’s statement on her Instagram story, the Atlanta Dream forward simply wrote, “True.”
Griner also experienced physicality in the league and paid the price for it. In 2019, she received three game suspensions following a court altercation against the Wings’ players. Griner accepted the suspension and highlighted that she ‘had enough’ before throwing punches at Kayla Thornton.
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“I’m getting techs for protecting myself in games and flagrants because they always only see me. They never see anything beforehand,” Griner said at the time.
Physical gameplay and inconsistent officiating have been issues in the league, as per many players and coaches. Cheryl Reeves also recently asked for a change in leadership as the officiating is ‘subpar’ in the league. The Aces HC showed her support for Reeve’s statement. However, later, the WNBA fined Hammon $1,000 for her stance.
Becky Hammon Looking To Change Indiana Fever’s Narrative
The Indiana Fever has so far survived three elimination games and now enters the fourth one, taking on the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena. While Game 3 was all about the Fever players getting closer to the paint region with the help of screens and drawing fouls, the Aces’ coach will look to change her defensive look.
Kelsey Mitchell and Odyssey Sims are more crafty ball handlers than Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, while the Aces’ backcourt duo is strong on assists and range shooting. Many eyes were on the mega matchups down the post, but the games were played and facilitated by the guards throughout the series.
To defeat the resilient Fever team, Becky Hammon will look to come up with different looks and also a stronger defensive plan, and make it to the third final.