After Game 1 loss at Michelob ULTRA Arena, head coach Becky Hammon was quick to admit the Aces’ mistakes. A’ja Wilson, who won her 4th MVP hours before the game, and the Aces literally had no answer to Kelsey Mitchell’s career-best playoff game (34 points). Yes, Wilson’s poor game (16 points) was one reason for the Aces’ loss in front of their home crowd, but according to Hammon, it was the Fever’s pace that won them the game.

Speaking to the media after the game, the Aces’ head coach admitted, “We couldn’t catch up to their pace… I mean, clearly, we had no answer for Mitchell. Couldn’t even attempt to slow her down a little bit.” Now, as the Fever gear up for Game 2 on Tuesday, Indiana’s Odyssey Sims’s comment only goes on to prove how right HC Hammon was with her assessment.

After leading the Fever’s ball-handing duties in yet another high-stakes game, Sims, who also posted 17 points for Caitlin Clark’s team, confirmed Hammon’s claims. During her post-game media availability, Sims said, “I think we’re one of the toughest teams to guard when we play at a pace with a higher level. Coach talks to me about that all the time. Making sure we’re getting downhill, but also it’s not just the pace. When you come off more aggressive, it’s hard to stop.”

The Fever ended their regular season in 6th place. This number would’ve certainly been higher had there not been a significant turnover at the guard position. But despite all the personnel changes, HC Stephanie White stuck to her game plan.

“And it’s me and Kelsey mainly because we’re in the majority of ball-screens, but it opens up so much. We draw attention when we get to the lane, but we also have great teammates that we can pass it out to. Like I said, we don’t wanna live in the lane, but we’re making sure we stay aggressive, but we also have our sprays, we have our kick outs, we have our high-lows with AB. Just open it up,” she added.

Even though Kelsey Mitchell and Odyssey Sims are the main players dictating the pace, the rest of the team also plays a vital role in making sure that playing fast also results in making. As evident in the game against the Aces, the Fever made it a point to take the ball to the basket. 76.5% of their field goals were from inside the 3-point line, a clear sign of them beating the Aces’ defense and getting open lanes. And when they aren’t able to find open lanes, they make sure to find an open teammate. Even Aliyah Boston, who’s not known for her passing, ended the season with 3.7 assists per game.

This emphasis on playing a fast offense was on full display last night. The Indiana Fever ended the game with 15 fast-break points. They were also able to capitalize on Aces’ turnovers and scored 13 points off of them (Kelsey scored 11 of these). As for Kelsey, the veteran guard became the first Fever player to score 30+ points in a playoff game since 2012.

While the 29-year-old is perfectly capable of creating her own shots, clearly, quick outlet passes were a big part of the reason why she was able to have such an effective night (12-23 from the floor). But while we have seen the advantages of Indiana’s style of playing with pace, why exactly do they do it?

Why does the Indiana Fever play with so much pace?

If we look at Stephanie White’s history before her current season with the Fever, speed was never the only priority. In the past season with the Connecticut Sun, her team was at the bottom of the league when it came to playing with pace. So why has pace become such a crucial part of her plan?

Well, the answer to that may remain with the personnel she has. Kelsey Mitchell is one of the, if not the fastest, players in the WNBA. Also, until Caitlin Clark was playing, her flashy passing from the end of the court to the other was instrumental. When we combine these two factors, it is obvious that the way forward is to beat the teams with pace. But players’ traits aside, there are plenty of other benefits to playing with pace.

Coming into game one as overwhelming underdogs, White knew that being aggressive was the only way to go. After the game, she said, “Our group has seen it all. We wanted to come in and be the aggressor right away to make sure that we were dictating on the defensive end and we were dictating from a pace standpoint.” Sure, they were also aided by a defensive masterclass put up by Aliyah Boston against the MVP, A’ja Wilson. But make no mistake, the strategy of playing with pace paid all the dividends.

After the early blows, the Aces could never regain command in the game. Sure, they did take the lead for a while or made the game a close affair. But anytime that happened, Kelsey and Co. increased their intensity and went on a run.

It is due to this emphasis on playing quickly that they have now stolen the home court advantage against one of the league’s best teams. Becky Hammon will certainly make sure that her Aces are ready to match Indiana’s pace from the get-go in Game 2. But will they be able to sustain it throughout the game or not?