Make no mistake. The Fever’s win on the road flipped the script. For the last couple of seasons, the Aces had made the Michelob ULTRA Arena their citadel, overwhelming visitors with sheer relentlessness. Yet, in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, it was the decidedly shorthanded and unproven underdogs who dictated tempo in an 89-73 shocker that belied conventional wisdom. And not for nothing was the upset recorded on the very day A’ja Wilson was crowned league Most Valuable Player.
Kelsey Mitchell provided the anchor, her 34 points amassed through remarkable calm. She took what the defense gave her and made the most of her opportunities; whether hitting from deep or slicing to the rim, she quieted each swell of momentum by the Aces with answers of her own. Along with Aliyah Boston, Odyssey Sims, and Natasha Howard, she turned the absence of injured teammates into an afterthought — a development that underscored their grit and determination. “We all we got, we all we need,” they chanted prior to entering the court; they then proved it with relentless effort that made them greater than the sum of their individual parts.
For the Aces, the contrast was striking. Wilson’s brilliance gave them a lifeline, but it was largely exhibited in isolation. The league’s newly anointed best player delivered everything she could, only to see the supporting cast sputter around her. Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Dana Evans chipped in, but not enough to prevent the Fever from controlling pace. In the aftermath, head coach Becky Hammon lamented the stagnant offense; she said the Aces played without urgency, a stunning reversal from their predisposition to overwhelm by committee.
The decisive sequence came late in the third quarter, when the Aces closed to within three and threatened to reassert their will. Instead, the Fever responded with an 11-0 run to close the period, stretching the lead back to double digits and, in effect, seizing the set-to for good. It wasn’t simply the surge itself but the composure behind the endeavor, highlighting a refusal by the red, blue, and gold to shrink under pressure.
In playoff series, the opening contest brings in with it a temptation to overestimate the significance of the outcome. That said, there can be no doubting the Fever’s declarative intent. Undermanned in hostile territory, they showed that they could match urgency with precision, and belief with achievement.
Meanwhile, the Aces, for all their championship pedigree, looked lost and in search of answers, particularly in the second half. One game may not erase their evident edge in talent and experience, but it does remind them that they need to match their opponents’ intensity if they are to turn pointed potential into peak performance.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
