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Will they or won’t they?
It’s been eight years and counting—the longest current streak in the WNBA—since the Indiana Fever last appeared in the playoffs. The only player on the roster who remembers the 2016 home playoff loss to the Phoenix Mercury is Erica Wheeler (and she’s been on multiple teams since then). The Fever then were coached by Stephanie White, who made a return to Indiana with the Connecticut Sun this Wednesday. The Sun are among the championship favorites, while the Fever are fighting for the playoffs. In the final game between the two teams this regular season, the Fever got their first win against the Sun, not only this year but since July 1, 2021.
White, who lost her first game to the Fever as head coach of the Sun, praised Indiana’s progress and growth in her postgame press conference, noting that, “Everybody on the floor understands how, when and where Caitlin Clark can get them the ball.” The best-passing rookie in WNBA history has been instrumental in her team’s transformation and she was rightfully named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 25 points, five rebounds and nine assists per game against the Mercury, Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx.
The Fever lost to the Lynx, but bounced back against the Atlanta Dream and surprised the Sun. Indiana isn’t at the level of Minnesota—to be fair, since the Olympics, nobody’s been close—and Atlanta has been within their reach previously, but winning against Connecticut is a big deal. The Fever opened up the game strong, however, the Sun caught up to them, which shows that Clark and company need more time, more experience and more minutes together to learn how to keep their cool in key moments.
The improvements wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the player who supposedly was a bad fit next to Clark: Kelsey Mitchell. She’s currently third in the league in clutch points and set the franchise record for consecutive games of more than 20 points with five. Temi Fagbenle is back and she’s playing significant minutes, contributing to the team’s success. Damiris Dantas’ minutes went down in the last three games, and understandably so. Because of head coach Christie Sides’ preference of big lineups, Dantas remains in the rotation, unlike Kristy Wallace, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics with the Australian Opals, but has played just one minute since her return from the competition.
What’s next for the Fever?
In the next seven days, the Fever will play four times.
On Friday, Aug. 30, they’ll face the Chicago Sky in another entry of everybody’s favorite WNBA rivalry. From Chicago, the Fever will head to Dallas and on Sunday to play against the Wings. On Wednesday, they will host the Sparks, and next Friday, the Lynx will come to Indiana, with the Fever looking to avenge their last loss. If the Fever can catch fire while the Lynx burn out a bit, maybe they’ll stand a chance.
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