The Indiana Fever have dramatically flipped the script on their season, upsetting the Atlanta Dream in a best-of-three playoff series that almost no one predicted they’d win.
Coming into the postseason as the No. 6 seed, the Fever were without five key players: rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, sharpshooter Sophie Cunningham, veteran guard Sydney Colson, defensive spark Aari McDonald, and versatile forward Chloe Bibby. The odds were stacked against them from the outset.
Meanwhile, the third-seeded Dream looked dominant on paper, boasting All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, as well as playoff veterans like Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner.
Their Game 1 performance did little to challenge that narrative, as they convincingly beat Indiana 80-68 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Many analysts and fans considered the series all but over.
Fever respond with grit, seal comeback with dramatic Game 3
But rather than folding, head coach Stephanie White‘s team responded with tenacity and urgency.
In Game 2, the Fever came out with renewed focus, stifling the Dream defensively and controlling the pace in a 77-60 rout that evened the series.
Game 3 turned into a playoff thriller. The teams traded leads and momentum throughout the night, but in the final seconds, it was the Fever who stood tallest.
With Atlanta down just two and inbounding the ball for a final shot, Lexie Hull anticipated the pass from Rhyne Howard, jumped the route, and came up with the decisive steal.
The play sealed an 87-85 win and punched Indiana’s ticket to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2015.
The victory not only snapped a decade-long playoff drought for the Fever but also signaled a turning point for a franchise long stuck in rebuild mode.
Indiana claps back at critics after historic upset
Following the emotional win, the Fever wasted no time responding to the chorus of doubters.
On social media, the team posted a screenshot of ESPN‘s pre-series predictions, which showed that all nine analysts had picked the Dream to win, eight expected a 2-0 sweep, and only one believed the series would even go to three games.
Their caption? Just three words: “Now You Know.” It’s also the team’s official slogan for the 2025 season, and it quickly went viral as a rallying cry for fans and players alike.
The upset was built on total team effort. Kelsey Mitchell delivered offensively, scoring consistently and creating shots in key moments.
Aliyah Boston anchored the interior with a double-double performance and elite passing, while Odyssey Sims controlled the tempo in the backcourt with veteran poise.
But it was Lexie Hull‘s steal-instinctive, fearless, and perfectly timed, that encapsulated the Fever‘s identity: unselfish, resilient, and relentless.
Against all odds, the Indiana Fever are back in the WNBA semifinals, and they’re not done yet.
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