Fever oust Dream to reach WNBA semifinals for first time in a decade

As injuries mounted for the Indiana Fever throughout the season and outside expectations diminished, Stephanie White’s message remained consistent.

“Internally, we take pride in everything that we do, and it’s not pressure but it’s opportunity,” White said. “We take every opportunity that we can to grow and to learn and this opportunity’s no different.”

From adversity came an opportunity, and Indiana grabbed it. An 87-85 win against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night sent Indiana to the WNBA semifinals for the first time in a decade, where it will await the winner of the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm. Through three seasons of the best-of-three first-round format, no lower seed had advanced to the WNBA semifinals. In the 2024 postseason, no lower seed even won a game.

No one would have faulted the Fever for losing in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, not after five season-ending injuries (Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Chloe Bibby) and the additional loss of Damiris Dantas to a concussion. And the Dream were fully healthy, 16-6 at home during the regular season and playing their best basketball coming into the postseason.

But the Fever didn’t bend, their victory proving to be a simultaneous testament to their star power and their depth. Three-time All-Star Kelsey Mitchell set a franchise record with 19 points in the first half, the lefty excelling from the right side of the floor. When the Dream changed their defensive coverages on her in the second half and gave Jordin Canada the assignment, Indiana went to Aliyah Boston. She responded with 11 points and five rebounds after halftime, including the game-winning basket.

The Indiana Fever kept battling.

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On the decisive play, the Fever almost lost the ball when Mitchell tried to pass to Boston after a hand-off. But Brionna Jones fell, knocked into Canada and Indiana kept the play alive. It’s what the team has done all season.

In the confusion, Mitchell found Odyssey Sims, the veteran guard who signed with Indiana on Aug. 10, and Sims lobbed a pass to Boston in the restricted area. Layup. Game.

“This group has been through every situation imaginable,” White said. “It just takes a couple breaks to go your way.”

The Fever had a nine-player rotation when the playoffs tipped off. Five of those players didn’t touch the court the last time they played the Dream in the regular season, and three of them weren’t even on the team.

They all played pivotal roles in the Game 3 win. Rookie Makayla Timpson had five rebounds, helping Indiana win the possession game on a night when Atlanta shot 50 percent from the field. Shey Peddy mostly struggled with her shot but hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to two points in the fourth quarter.

Brianna Turner was the Fever’s defensive Swiss army knife. She matched up with Brittney Griner inside, preventing her former teammate from getting comfortable in the paint. Turner switched onto guards to apply pressure on the Dream’s 3-point shooters. Her four offensive rebounds led to four points, including a putback to level the game at 80. And she defended the inbounds with 7.4 seconds to play, allowing Lexie Hull to swoop in for the steal, as Indiana protected a one-point lead.

Aerial Powers provided the individual shot creation Indiana needed outside of Mitchell, and Sims was the ultimate playmaker. Her eight assists were a playoff career-high in 37 games, none bigger than the final dish to Boston.

The Fever’s veterans, including three-time champion Natasha Howard and two-time champion Sydney Colson, kept their teammates together as the season wore them down. Howard has competed for titles in Indiana with White on the coaching staff, though as an assistant. The specifics may be different, but the stage is the same, and Howard was able to bring the new additions along.

Although she wasn’t able to lead from the court like Howard, Colson embraced her role from the bench. She was in Hull’s ear at the final timeout, explaining what Atlanta was about to run before Hull created the turnover.

“We say it pretty much ad nauseam, but it’s the resilience, the flexibility, the welcome and inclusive nature of this team, their selflessness to pull for the we over the me, the ability to let each teammate be who they are and shine at their best and to lift them up,” White said. “In those moments, that’s good for 12-15 points. It is. You couple that with the resilience, the toughness, the grit, the fight, the scrappiness, and you always give yourself a chance.”

The Fever gave themselves a chance, even if no one else did. They kept the deficit within single digits for the entirety of the second half, trusting that they would eventually find a way to break through.

When Clark went down, they turned to McDonald. When McDonald went down, in came Sims. Powers subbed in for Cunningham, and Turner jumped from sixth in the frontcourt rotation to third. Everyone in Indiana believes they can contribute, and they have all been called upon to do so.

And after all the tumult of the regular season, this is where Indiana was expected to be: in the last four, in position to contend for a title.

(Photo of the Indiana Fever celebrating their win on Thursday night: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)