Resilient Fever Face Extra Adversity, However Now Get to Host Playoff Sport – Indiana Fever

Atlanta Dream
Chicago Sky
Connecticut Solar
Dallas Wings
Golden State Valkyries
Indiana Fever
Las Vegas Aces
Los Angeles Sparks
Minnesota Lynx
New York Liberty
Phoenix Mercury
Seattle Storm
Washington Mystics
Portland Hearth
Toronto Tempo

By Wheat Hotchkiss | FeverBasketball.com
The Indiana Fever have confronted adversity all season, shedding 5 gamers to season-ending accidents. They nonetheless discovered a option to go 24-20 within the common season and earn a playoff berth.
Their resilience will as soon as once more be examined after they dropped Sport 1 of the their first spherical collection on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, falling to the Dream, 80-68.
Due to the brief nature of the best-of-three collection within the first spherical of the WNBA playoffs, the Fever will now face elimination on Tuesday night time, after they host the Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Fever jumped out to an early 15-6 lead due to a 9-0 run early on Sunday, however that was one in every of few occasions the offense was flowing for Indiana.
The Dream gave the Fever offense points for a lot of the night time. They held Indiana to simply 12 factors within the second quarter and outscored the Fever 22-11 to open the fourth quarter and put the sport away.
The Fever had one of many league’s high offenses within the common season, rating third within the WNBA in each factors per recreation (84.9) and area purpose proportion (45.6 %) and fourth in 3-point % (34.6 %). Atlanta held Indiana nicely under all of these averages, because the Fever amassed simply 68 factors on 34.9 % taking pictures and went simply 2-for-15 (13.3 %) from 3-point vary.
All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 factors on 9-of-18 taking pictures, however just one different Fever participant reached double figures (Odyssey Sims with 10 factors).
“I assumed we received a bit of stagnant,” Fever head coach Stephanie White stated of Indiana’s offensive struggles. “We held the ball a bit of bit an excessive amount of, didn’t get it shifting aspect to aspect, get to a number of actions. We received a bit of tunnel visioned…I feel we’ve received to essentially hone in on constantly for 40 minutes getting the ball shifting.”

White, Mitchell, and Fever ahead Lexie Hull all credited the Dream’s physicality as a significant factor within the final result. The Dream pressured Indiana into 15 turnovers and likewise drew various pivotal fouls within the second half, together with 5 on Fever All-Star middle Aliyah Boston.
“We get momentum after which there’s 4 or 5 foul calls in a row,” White stated. “They get some alternatives. I feel it stopped the move of the sport. It didn’t enable us to rise up and down in transition. I feel that their physicality took us out of our rhythm typically.”
“We knew coming in it’s the playoffs, it’s going to be bodily and we’re going to need to discover ways to play with that,” Hull added.
The Fever discovered themselves in the same place final yr after they dropped their playoff opener to Connecticut. However the distinction this time is that they’ve the chance to host Sport 2.
The format for first spherical collection was a 2-1 format with the higher seed internet hosting the primary two video games. Final yr, the Solar gained each residence video games and the Fever have been unable to host a playoff recreation.
However the WNBA switched again to a 1-1-1 format this yr, which means that Gainbridge Fieldhouse will host a postseason contest for the primary time since 2016. It will likely be the primary residence playoff recreation for Mitchell, an eight-year veteran.
“It provides ourselves an opportunity to remain within the hunt,” Mitchell stated about attending to play Sport 2 in Indianapolis “…I want to assume that being again at residence may give us a way of consolation.”
The damage bug continued to chew the Fever even heading into the playoffs, as reserve middle Damiris Dantas was unavailable on Sunday after coming into the league’s concussion protocol after struggling an damage in apply earlier this week.
However the Fever have been resilient all yr within the face of adversity. And White stays assured that they are going to rise to the event as soon as once more with their backs towards the wall.
“I like the place we’re,” White stated. “I’m happy with our group for persevering with to combat. And we’re going to be higher on Tuesday.”

Stephanie White
Kelsey Mitchell
Lexie Hull
Indiana Fever
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