Becky Hammon has not come around on the WNBA's 1-1-1 first-round format. After a win over the Seattle Storm, the Las Vegas Aces coach made the case against it again. She made the same objection last September, before the Aces had played a game under the format.
A year of results later, she has the better side of the argument.
Her objection comes with the Aces still chasing the No. 2 seed. She also conceded that the format is the league's call, not hers.
"The 1-1-1, I don't think, is a good setup," Hammon said. "It is what it is. It should be 2-1 or go to a five-game series because the 1-1-1 is no advantage for the higher seed, really. It's nothing. That's not my decision obviously, but I don't like the setup in that first round."
I asked Becky Hammon: At this point, are you paying more attention to who your team might play or how they are playing heading into the playoffs?
— The Sportsnista (@TheSportsnista) September 21, 2026
“It’s a little bit of both” before making it clear: She doesn’t like the WNBA’s 1-1-1 first-round playoff format.
🎥 @VegasSportsTD pic.twitter.com/r5z8R26Yr5
How the First-Round Format Changed
Before the change, the higher seed hosted the first two games of a best-of-three first-round series through 2024. The lower seed only hosted if the matchup reached Game 3. That order changed in 2025. Game 2 now belongs to the lower seed, while the higher seed gets Games 1 and 3, ensuring every team that reaches the playoffs gets at least one home game.
Indiana never got one in 2024, with Connecticut winning both first-round games on its home floor. That meant Caitlin Clark's rookie year ended before the Fever could bring a playoff game to Indianapolis.
Hammon's first objection came on the opening day of last year's playoffs, before Las Vegas played Seattle in Game 1.
"I think this conversation came up last year, when Indiana didn't get a game, and they were upset," Hammon said.
Her answer ended on the same two alternatives she offered this week.
"Either move it to five [games], or it stays in the 2-1 format, because it puts the higher seed at actually a huge disadvantage," Hammon said.
When a first-round series ends in two games, No. 1 and No. 8 get the same number of home games: one apiece.
What the 2025 First Round Showed
Three of last season's four first-round series went the distance. Seattle and Indiana each forced a Game 3 by winning Game 2 at home.
Las Vegas opened with a 102-77 win at home before going to Seattle and losing Game 2, 86-83. That loss snapped what had been a 17-game winning streak for the Aces. Back in Las Vegas for the deciding game, the Aces escaped 74-73 before eventually sweeping the Phoenix Mercury to win the 2025 title.
Atlanta entered the matchup with a franchise-record 30 victories, earning the No. 3 seed and a first-round meeting with No. 6 Indiana. The Dream opened the series with an 80-68 win in Atlanta. Two days later, Indiana answered with a 77-60 win at home on Sept. 16 before heading back to Atlanta and taking the deciding Game 3, 87-85, on Sept. 18.
Phoenix lost Game 1 at home to the New York Liberty, 76-69, in overtime. The teams played in Phoenix on Sept. 14, in New York on Sept. 17, and back in Phoenix on Sept. 19. The Mercury won the last two games, 86-60 and 79-73.
Only the Minnesota Lynx got out in two. They beat the Golden State Valkyries 101-72 at home and 75-74 on the road.
Under the format used through 2024, the Game 2 the Aces lost in Seattle and the Game 2 the Dream lost in Indianapolis would have been played at home.
The WNBA has released the 2026 playoff schedule.
— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) September 9, 2026
First round begins on 9/27 (best-of-3)
Semifinals: 10/4 (best-of-5)
Finals: 10/17 (best-of-7) pic.twitter.com/Y4IIBntDKr
The Five-Game Option
One of Hammon's two proposed fixes can already be found in the next round. Once the playoffs reach the semifinals, the series expands to five games. The higher seed gets the first two at home and would also host a deciding Game 5. The Finals expanded to seven games in 2025, giving the higher seed Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 at home. Using a 2-2-1 setup over five games would send Games 3 and 4 to the lower seed while still allowing the higher seed to host up to three of the five on its own floor.
Eight of the WNBA's 15 teams make the playoffs. The league added the Valkyries in 2025 and the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire this season. Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are scheduled to join in 2028, 2029, and 2030.
What's Left for Las Vegas
Entering Tuesday's games, Minnesota is 32-10 and Golden State is 31-11, with two games remaining for each team. The Aces are 29-13, a half-game ahead of the Dream at 29-14.
For Las Vegas to climb to No. 2, the Aces need to win both of their remaining games while Golden State loses twice. That combination would leave both teams at 31-13, with Las Vegas owning the tiebreaker after sweeping all three games in the season series.
The Aces host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sept. 22 before closing the regular season in Phoenix on Sept. 24. The first round starts three days later, on Sept. 27.
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