The WNBA has tweaked its playoff format this season, and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon is not a huge fan. Not only that, but she thinks Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever played a pretty big role in the league’s thinking.
The WNBA is using a 1-1-1 format in its first round this season, meaning higher seeds host the first and third games of the best-of-three series. Previously, the higher seeds got the first two games at home, and the lower seed only got a home game if they were able to force a decisive Game 3. That format meant higher seeds could eliminate underdogs with two wins at home.
Hammon said earlier this week that she dislikes the new format, and that it actually disadvantages higher seeds because of the travel involved. Interestingly, she thinks the WNBA changed the format this season because of complaints from the Fever last year.
“I don’t like it,” Hammon said. “You look at a team like Phoenix, dropping that one. They’re gonna have all the pressure, and it’s going to be 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. For me then, you’ve got to finish better. Either move it to five or it stays in the 2-1 format, because it puts the higher seed at actually a huge disadvantage.”
Pregame goods from me:
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) September 15, 2025
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
The Fever were the No. 6 seed in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, but never got to play at home because they lost two road games against the Connecticut Sun. The implication is that the league did not want to risk Clark and the Fever not being able to showcase themselves in a home game if the same situation arose again.
If that is the case, the league got its wish. The Fever once again made the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, this time facing off against the Atlanta Dream. Clark, however, is out for the season, but is still garnering plenty of attention from the sidelines.
The Fever did win their home game on Tuesday, forcing a decisive Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday.
There are legitimate reasons behind Hammon’s complaint. Her team does not have it as bad as some others in terms of travel, since they face the Seattle Storm in the first round. However, the second-seeded Aces have also been pushed to a decisive Game 3 on Thursday, perhaps in part because of the new format. It is a headache for teams, but it probably makes for more exciting viewing for fans.
