Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who was a candidate for the league’s MVP award, put on a show in Las Vegas to kick off the semifinal series against the Aces. With 34 points, three assists and two steals, Mitchell, alongside Natasha Howard and Odyssey Sims, helped the Fever claim Game 1 of the best-of-five series.
The Aces took that loss personally. In Game 2, they stole the show with a 90-68 win. A’ja Wilson led the way with a 25-point game, adding nine rebounds. Chelsea Gray played a pivotal role with 10 assists and NaLyssa Smith helped inside the paint, adding 18 points.
”I just think we came to work,” Wilson told reporters after Game 2. “We didn’t come to work at Game 1, and that’s on all of us. I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work, and when we do that, we do it the right way.”
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Games 3 and 4 of the semifinals are set for downtown Indianapolis, tipping off on Friday evening. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Fever, is one loud house. If a regular season game can sell out and provide a playoff atmosphere, imagine how loud and chaotic a playoff atmosphere can get. Despite that, after their midseason turnaround and dominant win streak, the possibility of the Aces taking two games on the road seems possible. To accomplish that, they must get significant contributions from their bench, while also avoiding foul trouble.
Bench depth
The bench has played a critical role in the Aces’ recent success. Dana Evans, acquired in the offseason, has been a difference-maker in her role coming off the bench.
“Oh, Dana’s fun,” Hammon told reporters before their Game 2 matchup. “Dana’s a firecracker. You know, she has the ability to turn a game around, and there’s not a lot of players that have that ability, coming in off the bench, to really turn the tide.”
Off the bench, Evans averaged 6.6 points per game throughout the regular season. In her fourth playoff appearance, Evans is averaging 7.8 points per game, along with 1.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
While Evans has been a major factor from the bench, guard Jewell Loyd has been perhaps the most critical factor. Loyd, a six-time All-Star, has started most of her WNBA career, averaging at least 15 points per game in eight of her 10 seasons. In late July, Loyd was replaced by Kierstan Bell in the starting lineup. Shortly after that switch, the Aces got hot and reeled off a 17-game winning streak.
The Aces’ bench plays a critical role in this playoff series. If the starting five is wearing down, the bench can come out and re-ignite that fire. If the Aces can keep their bench hot, the whole roster will stay hot.
Foul trouble
Following the Aces’ Game 2 victory to even the series at 1-1, Coach Hammon did not hold back in her critiques of the officiating.
“I mean, you can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court,” Hammon said. “You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul. The freedom of movement, there’s no freedom. And I’m not saying that we’re not fouling, too, not saying that. I’m saying it’s out of control.
“Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they’re like, ‘This would not fly in the NBA. … There’d be fights.’ We just have very well-mannered women that can get to the next play.”
On the other side of the sideline, Fever coach Stephanie White shared her own thoughts about the number of fouls called in Game 2.
“Well, its hard for us to find flow when there’s a foul called every 10 seconds,” White told reporters after the game. “I mean, it just really is, you know, and when they’re at the free throw line, we can’t get up and down the floor, and that’s a challenge.”
There were 41 fouls called in Game 2, including 16 in the third quarter, and 27 called in Game 1. In Game 3, the Aces must focus on getting to the free throw line on offense, eliminating transition opportunities for the Fever, while limiting the number of fouls they commit on the defensive end.
Physicality is a critical part of a playoff run, no matter the sport. The competitive drive increases, and the hunger for a championship puts teams in a “now or never” mindset. Players take hit after hit, putting their bodies on the line for the sake of a championship. If the Aces can withstand that physicality while also shooting efficiently from the charity stripe, it puts them at a major advantage to close out the series in Indianapolis.
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