When the Indiana Fever lost a plethora of their top-tier stars due to injuries, nobody gave them a chance. With the likes of Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson sitting out, the playoffs felt like a distant reality.
But with Stephanie White’s coaching brilliance, the Fever not only qualified for the playoffs. Instead, they gave the Las Vegas Aces a run for their money. Going toe-to-toe, the Fever vs. Aces semifinal series set a viewership record.
And now, looking back at the season, Aces’ Nalyssa Smith has given the Fever their due flowers.
Nalyssa Smith Explains Why Indiana Fever Were Their Toughest Opponent
A’ja Wilson’s record-breaking Finals MVP led the Aces to victory. But before all of that happened, Las Vegas had quite a toll en route to the finals. The team faltered significantly in the first half of the tournament.
However, thanks to Becky Hammon’s coaching, the team was able to turn things around drastically. Yet, they did face a lot of challenges, and the toughest among them, as narrated by Smith, was the Indiana Fever.
“I would probably have to say the Fever, honestly, which hurts me to say. No, I’m playing. But I would have to say the Fever for sure because I feel like they just played with nothing to lose,” she said.
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“I feel like when you are down like players and you know, it’s an abnormal season, it just forces you to have to play out your body. So I feel like that’s kind of what they did. And kudos to them,” Smith further added, speaking in a recent episode of the ‘Just Women’s Sports’ podcast.
Surely, the Aces deserve a pat on the back for having gotten past such quality opponents. And the person responsible for this, Becky Hammon, received a shout-out from Smith recently.
What Did Nalyssa Smith Tell About Becky Hammon?
Despite Wilson taking all the limelight, it was Hammon who was conducting the show from behind the curtains. Her tactical coaching helped the Aces win the championship from a position where they had been languishing at the bottom of the playoff table.
Moreover, Hammon is only the fourth WNBA coach to win three championships after Van Chancellor, Cheryl Reeve, and Bill Laimbeer.
Heaping praises on Hammon, Smith said, “She [Becky Hammon] just has a great balance of knowing how to push her players and then just always motivating you and always telling you all the positive things. I think, sometimes, a lot of coaches, they forget that you have to have that balance, or you’ll lose your players. Becky does a tremendous job always just building everybody up regardless of the situation.”
Thus, it is evident that the road to glory was laden with thorns for the Aces. And while they did manage to overcome the same, the entire team deserves all the respect and credit.