Fever Rising: 'We are just watching them grow up'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides was emotional Wednesday after her team grinded out an 84-80 win over the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of people in my life,” Sides said. “We are just watching them grow up.”

At the beginning of the season, Sides repeatedly challenged her team to continue to find "joy" despite a 1-8 start. 

Joy has been a little easier to find these days as the Fever have completely turned around their season. Sitting at 15-16 with nine games to play, Indiana is arguably the hottest team in the WNBA. 

Indiana is 11-6 in its last 17 games dating back to the middle of June. 

“(Joy) is something we couldn’t find a lot of early,” Sides said. “I’ve preached that from the beginning ... you’ve got to have fun playing this game and that joy is so important.

“Yeah, there were some dark days early and a lot of doubters. They kept showing up. They kept showing up and they kept improving. It could have gone a different direction."

Fever fans have used the hashtag #FeverRising on X since the beginning of the season. It makes more sense than ever now, considering how the team is playing since the Olympics break. 

Indiana has won four of its five games since returning to action with its lone loss coming to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 24. 

“They have locked in and worked to get better,” Sides said. "We are just all on the same page and it is just a great place to be right now. You can feel it in our locker room."

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell have been electric in the backcourt, combining for 241 points in the team’s last five contests. Mitchell set a new franchise record for consecutive 20-plus point games (five) while Clark was recently named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week. 

Lexie Hull has been equally impressive. She earned her second start of the season Wednesday and did not disappoint. She finished with 17 points, eight rebounds (six offensive) and four made threes. Over the last five games, she is shooting 70 % (14-for-20) from behind the arc. 

Aliyah Boston deserves credit for several of the clean looks for the shooters mentioned above. In addition to her steady presence in the paint, Boston has improved her passing ability out of the high post. On Wednesday, she had 10 points, six rebounds and eight assists. 

“It’s just so evident our team is in a different place on both ends of the floor,” Sides said. 

Looking ahead

So, how many games can Indiana potentially win before the end of the season? Is a 20-win season out of the question?

Six of the Fever’s last nine games are against teams with losing records. The only current playoff teams left on their schedule are Minnesota (Sept. 6) and Las Vegas (Sept. 11 and Sept. 13). 

Indiana will play at Chicago (11-19) tonight before visiting Dallas (8-22) on Sunday. 

Currently at No. 7 in the league standings, the Fever have a strong chance to pass Phoenix (16-16, sixth), which is 4-6 in its last 10 games, before the playoffs begin Sept. 22. 

What it comes down to

Indiana, in contrast to past seasons, does not need to play a near-perfect game to win. Wednesday night was a prime example. 

The Fever committed 20 turnovers but still managed to score 84 points -- 33 in the first quarter -- against a Sun team that entered the game allowing 73 points per game (lowest in WNBA).

“(Indiana’s) pace makes it difficult. They put a lot of pressure on you,” Connecticut head coach Stephanie White said after Wednesday’s loss. White, an Indiana native, was the last coach to lead the Fever to the playoffs (2016).  “This is a team that is going to make runs. They shoot the ball incredibly well. They have great balance. They figured out how to play together.”

However, relying solely on an offensive outburst would be unwise -- especially when the playoffs arrive. Indiana will need to tighten the screws down the stretch. 

WNBA standings

1. New York Liberty, 26-6; 2. Minnesota Lynx, 23-8; 3. Connecticut Sun, 22-8; 4. Seattle Storm, 19-11; 5. Las Vegas Aces, 18-12; 6. Phoenix Mercury, 16-16; 7. Indiana Fever, 15-16; 8. Chicago Sky, 11-19; 9. Atlanta Dream, 10-20; 10. Washington Mystics, 9-22; 11. Dallas Wings, 8-22; 12. Los Angeles Sparks, 7-24.

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