Stephanie White uses Pacers' Game 2 win as lesson on situational basketball
The Fever head coach pointed to the NBA Playoffs to highlight effective planning, decision-making, and trust under pressure. Plus, another Pacers gold out, injury update, no fine for Haliburton & more
On Thursday afternoon, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White used a timely reference to drive home her final message of the day.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers scheduled to use the main floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for shootaround on Friday, the Fever held their practice there a day earlier than scheduled. It was on the Pacers’ City Edition court — the same floor set for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday night.
White, who also serves as an NBA game analyst for ESPN, pointed to the Pacers’ comeback win in Game 2 in Cleveland as a perfect example of situational basketball. She emphasized the importance of playing a complete game — all 48 minutes — while communicating, getting stops, and being prepared for crunch-time scenarios.
What stood out to her? The Pacers’ toughness, competitive spirit, and their fearlessness in the moment.
“Our staff and myself have gone back and forth and back and forth with time and score situations of missing free throws,” said White, who was also wearing an Indy hoodie inspired by the Pacers’ City Edition theme. “So, in my head, I'm like, ‘Did he miss that on purpose? Did we work on that tip?’ Because those are all things that we've been talking about.
“Situational basketball — being able to inbound the basketball, when to use fouls that we've seen over the last couple of days, timing and when to you use fouls. All of those things we debate and talk about as coaches all the time. Then, they’re situations that we end up practicing in practice.
“But doing it in practice is one thing. Being able to do it in live action is a whole different scenario.”
The Pacers had one timeout remaining when All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed his second free throw with 9.6 seconds left. Down by two, Myles Turner tipped the rebound out, and the Pacers capitalized — opting not to call timeout, which would’ve allowed Cleveland to set its defense and have the correct personnel on the floor.
Instead, head coach Rick Carlisle trusted his group to make a play in real time — based on trust and experience.
“That’s the difference in a team that you trust and you've been building with, and a team that you’re new to,” she said. “That’s part of our process right now in practice is figuring out what can we allow them to play through When do we need to use timeouts? We don't want to allow the defense to set necessarily. So, we want to allow them to make plays. But part of that's building trust and understanding in time and score situations what we want to get. And when we know that they have that understanding, I think it's a little easier to let them play through that.”
White trusts her coaches — Briann January, Austin Kelly, and Karima Christmas-Kelly — and now in training camp, they’re working to establish that same trust with the rest of the Fever roster.
White was the ESPN game analyst for Pacers-Bucks Game 1 last series, which Indiana finished off in five games.
🏀 Join Me Postgame on YouTube
Don’t forget: I host a live postgame show on YouTube after every Pacers playoff game. I’ll be live Friday night after Game 3.
🇺🇸 USA Basketball News
Sue Bird, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA legend, has been named managing director of the women’s national team. She retired in 2022.
“Can’t think of a better choice to lead the next era,” tweeted Fever president Kelly Krauskopf, who has served on the selection committee.
📺 Update from Day 8 from Fever Training Camp
🎟️ Another Gold Out
Game 3 on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) will feature another Gold Out.
Every fan in attendance will receive a commemorative shirt featuring the late Slick Leonard’s iconic phrase. Shirts were placed on every seat Friday morning after the Cavaliers’ shootaround. Here’s a look at them (via PS&E).
🤕 Cavs’ Injury Update
Health remains a major factor in every playoff series, and the Cavaliers are dealing with significant injuries to three key players — including two All-Stars:
Darius Garland (left big toe sprain)
Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain)
De’Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain)
All are officially listed as questionable for Game 3.
Haliburton, meanwhile, is NOT listed despite dealing with a sore left wrist during Game 2.
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine for the game so I’m all good,” Haliburton said after practice on Thursday.
⚠️ Just a Warning for Haliburton
"I'll take that fine gladly,” Haliburton said after Game 2.
Turns out, he won’t be fined after all. The NBA issued him a warning for his “big balls” celebration following his game-winning 3-pointer — a league source confirmed to Fieldhouse Files.
❌ Three Calls on L2M Report
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report from Game 2 identified three missed calls:
:48 — Missed double lane violation on Siakam’s free throw, leading to Nesmith’s putback slam. — “Multiple players enter the lane and cross the three-point line before the ball is released. The basket should’ve been nullified and a jump ball held at midcourt.”
:15 — Missed defensive 3 seconds on Donovan Mitchell. — “Mitchell is in the paint longer than three seconds without actively guarding an opponent.”
:12.4 — Missed double lane violation on Haliburton’s second free throw and shooter’s violation. — “Multiple players enter early, and the shooter crosses the line before the ball hits the rim. A jump ball should’ve been called.”
🏆 Haliburton Named to PBWA All-Interview Team
The Pro Basketball Writers Association introduced its new All-Interview Team award this season — honoring players who are consistently thoughtful, insightful, and engaging with the media.
It’s a revival of a discontinued honor from 2004.
Haliburton earned a spot. As a PBWA member, I voted for him — and it was an easy choice. He’s accessible, insightful, and adds color and personality to every interaction. He gets it.
🍿 ‘Buddy & Jimmy’
I miss having Buddy Hield around. A true hooper — he lives to play basketball — and someone who always kept the locker room light. He and Haliburton built a strong bond going back to their Sacramento days.
This recent exchange between Hield and Jimmy Butler? Worth a watch.