Becky Hammon Cites Indiana Fever Amid WNBA Playoff Format Criticism

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon got brutally honest about the WNBA's new postseason format.

Sep 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon calls out a play against the Chicago Sky during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The WNBA is using a new format for the first round of the 2025 postseason this year. In the past, the first two games of the best-of-three series would take place at the higher seed's home court. If the road team managed to win one of those two games, they would be rewarded with the winner-take-all game three on their home court.

Starting in 2025, there is now a 1-1-1 format, which means that the higher-seeded team gets the first game and then the lower-seeded team gets game two. If a game three is necessary after that, it takes place at the higher-seeded team's court.

The reasoning for this shift is that now every team that makes the WNBA playoffs is guaranteed at least one home game. Many feel like the reason this change was made is because the Indiana Fever didn't get a home game in the 2024 playoffs, which felt like a mistake given the unprecedented attention around Fever star guard Caitlin Clark, who was then in the league MVP race as a rookie.

Sep 14, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks to the locker room against the Atlanta Dream at halftime during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While the No. 6-seeded Fever are getting their home game this postseason, Clark won't be competing in it because she's out for the season due to injury.

Becky Hammon Laments New WNBA Playoff Format

The clear downside to this new 1-1-1 first-round format is the travel it requires from teams, especially those who are playing on opposite sides of the country. Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon discussed this when speaking with the media after her team's dominant win over the Seattle Storm on September 14.

"I don't like it," Hammon said of the 1-1-1 format, per an X post from Nekias Duncan. "You look at a team like Phoenix, dropping that one, they're gonna have all the pressure. I mean, unbelievably tough to now have to fly to New York. And New York has a tough one, flying to Phoenix, back to New York, potentially back to Phoenix.

"I think this conversation came up last year, when Indiana didn't get a game, and they were upset. But for me, people just gotta get, you gotta finish better," Hammon continued. "Either move it to five [games], or it stays in the 2-1 format, because it puts the higher seed at actually a huge disadvantage."

Pregame goods from me:

1) Becky Hammon's thoughts on the 1-1-1 playoff format

2) Noelle Quinn on trying to counter teams stashing bigger wings on Skylar Diggins (0:47 mark) pic.twitter.com/5iaGJdXP47

— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) September 15, 2025

While Hammon may have a point, it seems that fans are in favor of this new format, which makes it unlikely that the league will go back to what it once was.