Caitlin Clark on the Fever’s turnovers in the first half vs Dream
“A lot of them definitely were unforced, like dribbling off the leg or a backcourt violation, which was not a backcourt violation, you all saw it.”
INDIANAPOLIS — This time, the Indiana Fever knew how to respond.
Just two days earlier, in the same building, Indiana found itself losing its composure against the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx had a 7-0 burst to start the third quarter, and the Fever started to unravel — technical fouls and multiple defensive mistakes led to a 29-point quarter for the Lynx, outscoring Indiana by 17 in just a 10-minute span.
That was something Indiana didn’t end up fighting back from, and the Fever dropped an 11-point game to the Lynx on their home court.
On Sunday, though, Indiana fought back in a 104-100 overtime win.
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The Atlanta Dream, a team the Fever had beaten three times before Sunday’s meeting, was up four points at halftime. Then, an 8-0 run to start the third quarter put them up 12. A short time later, the Fever found themselves down by 16 points.
“I’m proud of us. I thought we chipped away, we were resilient, and we really executed when it mattered,” rookie Caitlin Clark said. “I think we got down (16), and then we continued to find a way. Started off the fourth really good, and then I think they even responded and made it seven again. So just proud of our group at that time.”
Earlier in the season, when the Fever were still figuring out their identity and breaking in a new point guard in Clark, they wouldn’t have been able to come back from a deficit like that. Even Saturday, the Fever struggled to keep their composure in that third quarter and couldn’t fight back.
In the course of two days, coach Christie Sides said, they turned into a different team. They kept calm during that run, and didn’t let calls they didn’t like get in their heads too much.
“I think you saw a different team out there,” Sides said. “I think there were a lot of moments where they could have got really angry, let little things bother them, some calls, no calls. But I think they did a much better job of just, you know, handling their emotions, not getting too upset over things that, you know, just the next play mentality. That’s what they had — the next play mentality, to get on to the next.”
Indiana prioritized shaking off the things that bothered them in-game, and focused on how to get consistent stops. And that resulted in a 21-5 run throughout the rest of the third quarter, and chipping away at the Dream’s lead became a tie at the end of regulation.
Then, with six points from Aliyah Boston and four from Clark in the Fever’s first overtime of the season, Indiana completed the sweep over the Dream. It’s now the second time the Fever have swept a team in 2024 (3-0 over the Phoenix Mercury) That type of composure, for the Fever to not get too low when they’re down by 16 points in the second half, is exactly what they need to be able to make a run in the playoffs.
Indiana will soon be going up against a veteran team in the first round of the playoffs — whether it’s Connecticut or Minnesota — with coaches and players that not only have a lot more years in the league, but also a lot more playoff experience. Connecticut has gone to the WNBA semifinals each of the past five years and made two finals appearances in that span. Minnesota has coach Cheryl Reeve, who has won four championships in the past 13 years, as well as MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.
It will take a lot to compete with those teams. The Fever still have some work to do, but the resilience they have been showing with their 8-2 record out of the Olympic break is a great start.
“I think (resilience is) one of the biggest ways we’ve improved over the course of the year … definitely here in the second half,” Clark said. “I’m proud of our group. It’s just, you know, teams that are the top of our league, and obviously Atlanta is a really good team, but the Liberty, Connecticut, Minnesota, those are the type of teams that do not let you back from a 16-point lead, like that just doesn’t happen. And we have to find a way to, you know, be able to respond a little earlier.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 13:23:00
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