Aces’ Becky Hammon compared the Fever’s play to an NFL game and took aim at the referees

The Las Vegas Aces managed to surprise Indiana Fever and tied the series 1-1 after crushing the Stephanie White-led Aces 90-68 in Game 2 of the Playoff Semifinals.

However, Aces coach Becky Hammon put the spotlight on Indiana’s games against Atlanta Dream and compared them to an NFL game because of their friction.

Hammon’s harsh words

Prior to the Game 2 win, Becky reacted to Indiana’s physical play in the first round games against Dreams. “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,” she had said.

Now, she reinforced her stance, stating that physicality is “out of control,” she also took aim at referees who overlook these penalties and compared WNBA games to NFL games:

“I mean, you can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court,” she said. “You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul. The freedom of movement, there’s no freedom. And I’m not saying that we’re not fouling, too, not saying that. I’m saying it’s out of control.“

In addition, the Aces coach said that her assistants who come from the NBA commented that this type of situation would not go unnoticed in the league: “They’re like ‘this would not fly in the NBA, There’d be fights,’” Hammon added.

These criticisms come after the referees called 41 fouls during Game 2. The Aces shot 21 free throws compared to the Fever’s 15.

However, Stephanie White on the other hand, found this situation detrimental to the flow of the game: “It’s hard for us to find flow when there’s a foul called every 10 seconds. I mean, it just really is, and when they’re at the free throw line, we can’t get up and down the floor, and that’s a challenge.”

Now, heading into Game 3 and 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday the 26th and Sunday the 28th respectively, both teams will leave it all on the court to secure their Playoff berth. However, if necessary, a Game 5 will be played on Tuesday, September 30 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.