Somehow, someway, the Indiana Fever did it.
With Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, Damiris Dantas, and Chloe Bibby all sidelined, the Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 87-85 to advance to the semi-finals.
It was a team-wide effort, headlined by All-WNBA candidate Kelsey Mitchell, who poured in a game-high 24 points, as she typically does.
Fellow All-Star Aliyah Boston tallied 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists — as well as the game-winning layup with the clock winding down.
Lexie Hull posted 10 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals — the second of which came with just under 5 seconds to go and the game on the line.
And, somehow, collectively, the Fever did the unthinkable, upsetting the Dream on their own home court.
The credit must start with Fever head coach Stephanie White
After the game, Caitlin Clark immediately turned to social media to Tweet two words: “Stephanie White.”
The Fever head coach, a new addition to the squad this season, hasn’t been one of the league’s highest-touted coaches this season. Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was named Coach of the Year earlier this week, and Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon each received votes from the media.
White, a former Coach of the Year in her own right, flew under the radar this season. But, not only did she help propel Mitchell and Boston to career seasons, she also ensured that Indiana stuck together regardless of who was available to lace up.
“I’ve never had a coach that poured into me, respectfully like Steph has,” Mitchell said after Thursday’s decisive Game 3 win. ‘For the first time in my career, I feel like I have someone that really values what I bring to the table as a player and as a person.”
The results have been undeniable; Mitchell averaged 20.2 points and 3.4 assists this season, both career-highs. She’s a frontrunner to be named to First Team All-WNBA, and will likely be a finalist for MVP.
Then, there’s Natasha Howard, who added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on Wednesday night. Howard is back in Indiana — where she started her WNBA career over a decade ago — and she’s impacting winning.
And after the massive win, the 34-year-old glowingly reflected on the impact of Stephanie White, too.
“For me, I’m just grateful to be able to get back to Indiana and be able to be next to the coach that coached me in my second year in the league and just her believing in me and trusting in me to lead this team,” Howard said. “There’s a lot of weight on my shoulder, but hey, I’ve been through it before, I can do it. She does an amazing job for every person, not just me and Kelsey, but every single person on the team that she believes in, and she pours into every single person. It doesn’t matter how you play, how many minutes you’re going to get, she’s going to tell you to be ready at all times, go out there and do your part. That’s one thing that I love about Steph. She believes in every single person. She trusts us no matter what.”
Under White’s guidance, point guard Odyssey Sims has flourished. Sims, who signed with the Fever just over a month ago after injuries ravaged the team, tallied 16 points, 8 assists, 3 steals, and, remarkably, 0 turnovers.
Her most crucial play? A heads-up pass to Boston for the lay-up that ultimately won the series.
Sims, who was waived by the Los Angeles Sparks in July, has found her footing in Indiana, just like every player has seemed to upon joining the Fever.
Indiana’s journey isn’t over. As backup center Brianna Turner wrote after the win, they didn’t come this far, to only come this far.
Indiana will play the Las Vegas Aces in the next round of the playoffs — yet another series in which they’ll be massive underdogs. But, under the leadership of Stephanie White, they’ve shown they can’t be counted out.
