When the Indiana Fever entered the playoffs, the outlook was grim. With five key players sidelined, most wrote them off before the postseason even began.
But under head coach Stephanie White, the Fever defied expectations and fought their way to the semifinals for the first time since 2015. Their journey wasn’t smooth but it was marked by resilience, leadership, and a spark that started in the locker room.
Their first-round matchup against the Atlanta Dream presented major challenges. Atlanta boasted the league’s top defensive roster, and head coach Karl Smesko had turned Gateway Center Arena into a fortress.
On top of that, the Fever suffered another blow just before the series began when bench forward Damiris Dantas went down with an injury, shrinking an already depleted rotation. In Game 1, Atlanta dominated, winning 80-68 while holding Indiana to just two players in double digits.
But rather than fold, the Fever regrouped. In the next two must-win games, they roared back. The turning point? According to Brianna Turner, the belief was born from a conversation before Game 2.
“We were even talking in the locker room about how a few weeks ago we were down to Connecticut by like 20 and came back and won,” she revealed. “So I think we had so many little points throughout the season that prepared us for this moment tonight.”
The game she referenced was on August 17, when Indiana trailed the Connecticut Sun by 21 points in the third quarter and pulled off a thrilling 99-93 overtime victory. That night was a career-defining performance for Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 38 points, 34 of which came in the second half. With Caitlin Clark sidelined, Mitchell emerged as the team’s driving force.
White’s leadership and Mitchell’s revival
Mitchell continued her stellar form in the playoffs, averaging over 23 points across the three-game series and scoring a total of 70 points. Yet she’s quick to credit her head coach.
“I’ve had five coaches in eight years. I’ve been on some of the worst teams here with the Indiana Fever,” Mitchell said. “I’ve never had a coach that poured into me, respectfully, like Steph has.” The freedom to play her game, she explained, came directly from White’s leadership.
White’s game-planning also earned praise from Turner, who emphasized how difficult it is to beat a team in a three-game series-especially when the final game is on the road. “Steph really had a game plan for us,” Turner said. “Somehow, someway, we found a way to get it done.”
That way forward now leads them straight into a clash with the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces. Coached by Becky Hammon and led by 2025 Defensive Player of the Year A’ja Wilson, the Aces are formidable. Yet Indiana has reason to be hopeful as they won two of their three regular-season games against Las Vegas, including a 27-point blowout.
Still, this is a different Aces squad now, riding a 16-game win streak. Even Wilson knows the threat Indiana poses. “Kelsey Mitchell’s having one heck of a year,” she warned. “It’s going to take all of us to slow her down.”
Can Indiana carry this momentum into the semifinals and turn their underdog run into a Finals appearance? The answer begins Sunday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
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