Becky Hammon Doubles Down on WNBA Playoff Format Criticism After Aces Loss to Storm

Having a winner-take-all Game 3 at home didn't keep Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon from lamenting the new WNBA playoff format.

Sep 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon holds a presser before a game against the Chicago Sky at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The WNBA altered its format for the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs. Last year, it worked so that each higher-seeded team would play at home for the first two games of the best-of-three series, and the lower-seeded team would only get a home contest in the winner-take-all Game 3 if they managed to win one of those two games.

It's now a 1-1-1 format, which means that the higher-seeded team plays at home for Games 1 and 3, while Game 2 takes place on the lower-seeded team's home court. And the league immediately saw the benefit of this on September 16, as the lower-seeded teams in each of Tuesday's playoff games (the Indiana Fever and the Seattle Storm) won at home, forcing a Game 3.

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon (who the Storm beat on Tuesday night) lamented this change when speaking with the media after her team's win over Seattle on September 14, saying of the 1-1-1 format, "I don't like it. 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."

Aug 27, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon react to a play against the Atlanta Dream during the first half at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

She then added, "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. 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."

Becky Hammon Continues WNBA Playoff Criticism After Storm Win vs. Aces

Hammon was asked whether she likes knowing that the Aces get to play at home for Game 3 in this new 1-1-1 playoff format after Tuesday's loss, and she sent a clear message in response.

"I mean, I think the lower seed should have to win a game to get one at home. But, it is what it is," Hammon said, per a video from The Baller's Magazine's YouTube account.

"It's a tough travel, really, for both teams. To come into one, and go back to one. It's a tough situation, but it is what it is. If we have to have a Game 3, we like it at home," she added.

Hammon's Aces had their 17-game winning streak snapped by the Storm on Tuesday night, which will give them plenty of motivation to get back to being dominant during the decisive Game 3 on September 18.