3 things to watch in Aces’ WNBA semifinals series vs. Indiana Fever

The No. 2 seeded Aces opened the doors of their Henderson facility to the No. 6 Indiana Fever on Saturday, allowing their opponent to get one last practice in Saturday before the teams clash at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday in the start of what’s sure to be an explosive WNBA playoffs semifinals matchup.

The excitement and focus that both teams exuded in their respective preparation sessions was reflective of how similar their paths to this point have been. Both were doubted at different points in the season, and landed in the best-of-five postseason second round by winning Game 3 first-round stunners that required late layups.

For the Fever, however, the high eliminating the No. 3 Atlanta Dream on Thursday was clearly still in the air. No national outlets predicted they would survive beyond the first round without superstar guard Caitlin Clark.

Despite being ruled out for the season earlier this month due to a right groin injury, Clark made her presence known throughout the entirety of Saturday’s practice, dancing to the rap and R&B music that blasted through the speakers and yelling things at reporters. Her energy was contagious for her teammates, allowing them to relish their circumstances.

“We beat the odds,” Fever guard Odyssey Sims said. “We don’t have anything to worry about besides just focusing, getting into the game and trying to get a win tomorrow. The pressure’s on them. We want to continue to have fun, to enjoy and live in this moment and embrace everything.”

For the Aces, who hovered around .500 for the first half of the season until they climbed up the standings by closing the campaign with a historic 16-game win streak, there hasn’t been anything to celebrate. They survived the No. 7 Seattle Storm in the first round thanks to a Herculean performance from A’ja Wilson and a clutch putback by Jackie Young.

There’s no question they’ll need to be better against the Fever, who secured a 2-1 edge in the regular-season series with the Aces this season. Both of the Fever’s wins were without Clark.

“I think we needed a reality check,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said before leaving the court to the Fever. “Everybody’s on such a high note, but we were one second away from having exit meetings. We have to be at a serious, locked-in level.”

Here are three things to watch in the semifinals series:

1. Familiarity, or lack thereof

The Aces have the benefit of experience, but the Fever might have an edge in unfamiliarity.

This will be the Aces’ seventh straight semifinals appearance, while the Fever hasn’t made it this far in the postseason since 2015.

Despite their histories, Fever coach Stephanie White and Hammon both said Saturday that they’re coaching completely different teams than the ones that last met in the regular season.

In addition to Clark playing just 13 games this season, the Fever lost three players to season-ending injuries before the postseason, including Sophie Cunningham and former Aces guard Sydney Colson. They also saw Damiris Dantas go down in the first round with a concussion, and her status for the semifinals is unclear.

On the Aces’ side, adjusting to guard Jewell Loyd coming off the bench while forward NaLyssa Smith finds her place in the starting lineup has been key.

Smith was drafted by the Fever and learned from the team getting shut out in the first round of the playoffs last year, and White noted that she anticipates Smith will make a difference in the series.

2. All eyes on referees

As Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, addressed reporters Saturday, fresh scabs on her wrist were hard to ignore — battle scars from defenders “scrapping” with her in the first round, she said.

She said she expects that her frontcourt battle with fellow South Carolina alum Aliyah Boston will be no different, with the Fever center being known for her physicality.

But Hammon is anticipating that physicality will be the theme of the series for every player on the court, especially after watching the Fever’s first round games.

“It was a football match,” Hammon said Saturday of the Dream-Fever series. “There were bodies flying the whole time. Quite frankly, it made for very ugly basketball and I think that’s something the league’s got to take a look at. … Some of the hits that I saw in the Atlanta-Indiana game, if I did that to you in the street, I would be arrested. But on a WNBA court, it’s nothing to see here.”

Even Sims noted that the officials will be a factor.

“I think when you start the game, when you establish who’s the aggressor, I feel like the refs kind of let you play a little bit, but also they give you more fouls,” Sims said. “We just want to set the tone defensively.”

3. Pace, transition defense

The Aces worked “90 percent on defense” Saturday, Hammon said, and one of the last things she emphasized to her players in the closing huddle was about controlling the pace against the Fever.

She singled out point guard Chelsea Gray specifically, as she’ll be the one to set the tone. Gray is prepared for the task to make sure sets are called quickly and ensure that traffic is directed at a level of speed that will present a challenge for the Fever.

“My pace has picked up a ton, especially after the All-Star break,” she said. “Everybody knows I’m the point guard that has to make a lot of decisions, so my pace has to be on point. … (On the other hand) we were talking about transition defense today and trying to slow down their guards.”

Hammon wants the Aces to have the same intensity on defense, with the understanding that the Fever will push the pace as well.

“What I saw was a very fast paced-game with Indiana and Atlanta. Their transition offense really jumps off the charts,” Hammon said. “I think Odyssey Sims is a real X-factor for them.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.