The Indiana Fever are in a critical situation, needing a win tonight to force Game 3 and extend what has been a historic year for the franchise. However, the pressure of a must-win postseason game creates a level of intensity that contrasts with the relaxed playing style Indiana exhibited throughout most of the season.
“We like to have fun, we like to play with joy,” Lexie Hull said before practice Tuesday. “If we tense up, that’s where we’re not going to play our best, so I think we just need to stay true to ourselves, do what’s been working, and I think that will be good for us.”
This sense of freedom must be evident on offense. The Fever acknowledged defensive mistakes and their inability to sustain defense for the full shot clock in Sunday’s loss at Connecticut, but defense is not their defining trait. The fluidity and beauty of their offense were absent in Game 1, leading to missed open shots and a lack of tempo.
