Aces’ Head Coach and A’ja makes a Jab: at Fever Team”Crippled” Fever After Semifinal Clincher..
In a pulsating overtime thriller that etched WNBA history, the Las Vegas Aces punched their ticket to the Finals with a 107-98 victory over the battered Indiana Fever in Game 5 of the semifinals on September 30, 2025. For the third time in four years, Aces coach Becky Hammon and superstar A’ja Wilson turned the postgame spotlight into a verbal haymaker, mocking Indiana’s injury-riddled roster as a “crippled team” incapable of toppling their dynasty.
Wilson, erupting for 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in a Finals-clinching masterpiece, didn’t mince words during the victory presser. “There is no way that crippled team were gonna defeat us and go to the WNBA Finals,” she declared, her voice laced with the confidence of a four-time MVP. Flanked by Hammon, who nodded approvingly, Wilson highlighted Indiana’s absences—Caitlin Clark (ankle), Sophie Cunningham (knee), and Sydney Colson (concussion)—as fatal flaws. “They fought like hell, credit to Odyssey Sims’ 27 points, but without their full squad? Nah. We smelled blood and feasted.”
Hammon, ever the provocateur, amplified the shade. The former WNBA trailblazer, fined earlier in the playoffs for blasting officiating as “out of control,” leaned into the narrative with a smirk. “Look, the Fever’s got heart—Kelsey Mitchell’s 15 points before her injury exit showed that—but calling them a threat? Please. They’re hobbling on one leg, and we just amputated the other.” Her quip drew laughs from reporters, though it stung for an Indiana squad that defied odds by ousting Atlanta in the quarters and stealing two games here.
The series was a bloodbath: Fever’s Game 1 upset (89-73) stunned Vegas, but Aces rebounded with blowouts in Games 2 (90-68) and 3 (84-72). Indiana forced overtime in Game 4 (90-83), but Aliyah Boston’s six fouls and Mitchell’s late exit sealed their fate. Jackie Young’s playoff-career-high 32 points and 10 assists, plus Chelsea Gray’s 17-point spark, propelled Las Vegas past the feverish rally.
Critics may decry the jabs as unsportsmanlike, but Hammon defended it as “real talk in a league that’s grown too soft.” Wilson, eyes on a third ring, added: “This is motivation for them next year. Build better, or stay sidelined.”
As the Aces gear up to face the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA world buzzes. Indiana’s valiant run ends, but Hammon and Wilson’s barbs ensure the Fever’s fire burns brighter in 2026. Dynasty reloaded—or just good old-fashioned trash talk?
