Fever accomplish season goal, but Connecticut Sun end their season with first-round sweep
Fever accomplish season goal, but Connecticut Sun end their season with first-round sweep
The Connecticut Sun responded well each time the Fever made a run. They ripped off 10 straight points at the end to close the door on a comeback for the Fever, who lost 5 of 6 meetings this summer.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Indiana Fever’s second playoff game together had a little bit of everything on Wednesday.
An encouraging early run (13-4). Some early shoving between teams. A courtside fan saying something disrespectful — “stop whining,” he told Fieldhouse Files — and then getting a talking to from building security.
A blown layup as the first half concluded and then a thumb injury from landing on a camera courtside. A medical emergency in the stands that had a dozen fans out of their seats while an older gentleman received assistance. A 20-2 run with a season is slipping away, then later a 12-2 rebuttal from the Fever.
A step-back 3-pointer from Caitlin Clark gave Indiana a 71-70 lead with four minutes left. But each time, the tested Connecticut Sun had an answer.
First with three straight 3-pointers, then they strung together defensive stops. The Sun ran off 10 points in a row to close the door on a Fever comeback and send them back to Indiana without another game on tap.
“There was a time where I went into the huddle and I just said, score, stop, score,” said Fever head coach Christie Sides. “I think we went out and executed, and Kelsey (Mitchell) came open on a wide-open three. And it just didn't fall.
“Had a couple defensive situations that we're going to go back and be really upset about. But I mean, these guys battled. Connecticut is a great team and if you, just for a second, have a lapse, they're going to make you pay.”
The Fever suffered an 87-81 loss Wednesday in front of a sellout crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena (8,910) and about 2.5 million watching on ESPN, a new record for a WNBA playoff game on cable TV. That was about one million more viewers than their Game 1 loss on ABC going against NFL Sunday.
The Fever’s confidence hadn’t wavered this week despite a blowout loss in Game 1. They learned a lot in their first playoff game since 2016, which was the ultimate goal of this season anyway. Everything else was bonus.
They were encouraged because after reviewing the game film, they felt they left about 28 points on the floor with missed shots and poor execution. “I thought it was a lot of standing in our half-court offense, like it just didn't flow,” Clark said pregame.
She was content with the shots taken, but annoyed by the result. So perhaps it was a good sign that at morning shootaround, Clark made the half-court shot to win some money. It’s a long-time tradition of the team.
“Finally,” she said, rolling her eyes. She can’t stand to see anyone beat her — at anything. The half-court shot is one of dozens of examples.
She opened the game with a 3-pointer 27 seconds in. And then to open the second half, she passed it off to Lexie Hull for a triple. However, the Fever only shot 8 of 30 (26.7%) from range and the big number was points in transition. Eleven of their 14 first-quarter points were in transition. Then, they only had eight over the final 30 minutes.
“Everything that we talked about that we knew would help us be successful tonight, we did that,” Sides said.
Speaking of minutes, you knew the Fever would lean heavily on Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. There were only going to go as far as those two, plus Aliyah Boston, could take them. And they got little help from the bench, outscored 18-6 by Connecticut’s bench.
Clark and Mitchell played all 40 minutes.
“She could have played 40 on Friday,” Sides said of Clark, who was to her right.
Added Clark: “I don’t know why they take me out, that’s all I have to say.”
The Fever wore their red Rebel Edition uniforms for what turned out to be their final game of the season. Staff members wore black quarter-zips. All week, Sides repeated that this team was all business and that they believed in each other.
The coaching staff chose to make a rare change to the starting lineup. Forward NaLyssa Smith, who started in 37 of 40 regular-season games, was moved to the bench in favor of veteran rim-running forward Temi Fagbenle, who finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
“The thing that she brings for us is her speed,” Sides said afterward. “I thought she did a great job for us. Defensively, her length and her speed, movement, her veteran presence out there. She just did a great job for us.”
Boston left it all on the court, physically and emotionally. Just 22, she’s mature beyond her years and has served her teammates well. She finished with 16 points and a game-high 19 rebounds — twice as many as anyone else.
“I think just looking at this, looking at how far we've come from the start of the season to now, I'm just super proud of our group,” she said. “Because I think we had such a special 12. And I just can't wait to see what the future holds.”
The Fever still haven’t won in Connecticut since 2016.
The Sun are a tough team to beat. They have the experience — from Alyssa Thomas to DeWanna Bonner and Marina Mabrey. They play a physical brand of basketball, always making you feel them and jamming you in cuts, screens, and movements.
And they have incredible defensive versatility too. Bonner, DiJonai Carrington, and Veronica Burton each took turns trying to slow Clark.
“We've got a lot of different players who can do many things, but we also have to be able to keep teams off balance,” said Sun head coach Stephanie White. “We can't be predictable. Teams in this league are too good. We can't show them the same look every time. We've gotta be able to make changes, particularly in a series.
“You've gotta be humble enough, flexible enough to give different looks to keep people off balance. So I thought our ability to do that was important.”
The Olympic break was the best thing to ever happen to this young Fever team. It helped make up for lost time in the first month when they played 11 games in 20 days and barely knew each other.
“I just kept telling them, nothing defines us but our effort and our heart,” Sides said. “And they did that tonight.”
This team didn’t just make the playoffs, they punched their ticket early in September with seven games left — leaving no doubt.
Clark sets the bar high, both with her play and expectations. She wasn’t impressed with clinching the playoffs just like she’s unbothered by being voted fourth in MVP voting or her impact on the TV ratings.
“I don't really sit there and wait for the viewership numbers to come out,” Clark said with a smile pregame. “Maybe other people do, I was just like, ‘Ah cool. Close to two million people watching the game (Sunday). I think it's amazing and it's what you would expect at this point of the season because this has been a record-breaking year for the W in all sorts of ways.”
Winning, competing in the playoffs, bringing eyeballs — it’s just what she does. Now she needs more time with her teammates, plus more help.
“Obviously a tough one, especially because we climbed all the way back in and definitely had our opportunities late,” Clark then said postgame. “And then a few different miscues and it's back to a two possession game. We couldn't quite get over the hump there.
“It's a good little taste of what's possible for this organization and for this franchise. And there's a lot for us to hold our heads high about.”
That will become more apparent in time, which allows for proper reflection on what they were able to accomplish individually and collectively.
“We're all competitors in that locker room and so it doesn't feel good,” said Sides, who also spent time encouraged by their season and all they accomplished in a short time together. “Just doesn't feel good to leave here and not have the opportunity to get another one and an opportunity to move forward.”
Clark singlehandedly supercharged the league. She’s giving it the attention it has been seeking. Sellout arenas for every game (home and away), record metrics on social media and with TV viewership, and she helped introduce the league to millions of fans — which, in turn, is a win for everyone.
“We came together and had a lot of fun playing with one another,” Clark said. “And that's sometimes the worst part of it is you feel like you're really playing your best basketball. And then it has to end.”
For Clark, she hasn’t had any significant time off in more than a year. She spent a week in Mexico during the Olympic break, but then they had three weeks of practice. She’s played a lot of basketball over the last year, leading Iowa back to the national title game and then the Fever back to relevance.
At their lone home preseason game, there were 33 reporters and eight cameras. I took notice that this first-round series, on a Wednesday night, was massively covered. Standing-room only at the postgame press conference, a platform full of cameras.
In all: 43 reporters, 11 cameras. You cannot understate the level of growth and interest in Clark and the Fever this season.
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Clark was noncommittal about what’s next for her, though it’s unlikely she’ll play in a league this winter.
“I feel like basketball has really consumed my life for a year,” said Clark. “So I feel like it'll be good for me to kind of reflect back on everything that's happened. I feel like I didn't even have time to really reflect on my college career because it ended so fast.
“There was a lot of things that this group accomplished that a lot of people probably didn't think was possible, one, to start the season, and two, after the start we had to the season. So it'll definitely be probably a little weird for me over the course of the first couple of weeks. And then I'm sure I'll get bored and pick up a basketball again.”
As for what’s next — she hasn’t given it much thought. She planned on winning the elimination game and then returning home to play in front of Fever fans to complete the best-of-three series. Now that’s not happening.
“I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow,” she replied so innocently. “I don't know what I'm going to do the next day. So maybe play some golf.”
The team has exit interviews, both with the team and media schedule for Friday. Team staffers can take a breath and enjoy what they accomplished since late April.
But then a new era begins.
Kelly Krauskopf is returning to run the team and fans should be encouraged by that. She has decades of combined experience in the WNBA and NBA, understands culture and team building.
“This is an unprecedented moment, and as we move forward, we need great leadership,” Fever GM Lin Dunn said this week. “And we need great leadership that's experienced with what we're going to deal with now, especially with the news of the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement), the media rise and everything that's happening (with) the explosion in the WNBA.”
After five and 13 wins over the past two years, respectively, the Fever won 20 games. They earned the No. 6 seed and recaptured longtime fans while welcoming millions more. I can’t tell you how many viewers have told me they just started watching the WNBA and others that believe it’s must-watch TV because of Clark and the Fever.
“It's about stepping stones,” said Boston. “And I think in two seasons, we've made the right steps to go forward. I'm excited for what the future holds because we won 13 (games) my first season, now 20 this year. We're on the rise.”
Added Sides, who finished her second year as head coach: “We definitely have the pieces to have some great years ahead of us.”
The first thing will be hearing Krauskopf’s evaluation of the team and her vision for the future. Then it will be bringing back Mitchell, who was on the final year of the deal. And then it’ll be interesting to see, next year and in upcoming seasons, what free agents see what’s happening in Indy — the sellouts, national TV games, sincere fan interest — and want in on the Clark party.
Indeed, it’s an unprecedented moment and the Fever must take full advantage.
Thanks for following along with me this season. I appreciate the increased fan interest and enjoyed sharing my viewpoint and insights with you all throughout the season.
From the draft lottery announcement to the draft party, to Connecticut for Game 1 and then Phoenix for All-Star weekend. And there’s plenty more to come.