Becky Hammon Explains Why 'Three-Headed Monster' Fever Are 'Dangerous' Playoff Team

Las Vegas Aces head coach Beck Hammon got honest about the monstrous offensive threat that the Fever bring to every game.
Jun 4, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon in the second half against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jun 4, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon in the second half against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever face off for the second consecutive game on Friday. Their last matchup came on Wednesday, when the Aces defeated the Fever 86-75; during which A'ja Wilson set the WNBA record for most points scored in a single season.

While Las Vegas still emerged with a win, it was a harder fought contest against a vastly improved Fever team compared to the one that the Aces easily beat 99-80 back on May 25.

And before Friday's game, Hammon spoke about the improvements she has seen from Indiana this year.

"Their chemistry has gotten better," Hammon said, per TJ Sports Queens. "And at the end of the day, that is one ingredient you can't rush. You can't force that. It has to come naturally, it has to come organically. And so I think that now they're just getting used to how each other plays, what to expect from each other, getting to know their coach's system better... Just a familiarity that I think they've really progressed in.

"They're a legit three-headed monster," Hammon added. "So you have to play defense against this team. Otherwise, they're just too good offensively, we don't want to get into a situation where we have to outscore them. Because they really have some unbelievable scorers."

Hammon is presumably talking about Caitlon Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, who are Indiana's three leading scorers this season.

Hammon later added, "[Indiana is] a hot team. They've been playing as good as anybody this last part of the season. So they're a very dangerous team. A very dangerous team."

While the Aces had the advantage over Indiana on Wednesday, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll do so on Friday; nor if the two teams were to meet in the playoffs.


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Grant Young

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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.