In her second stint with the Indiana Fever, Natasha Howard notes the importance of bringing the franchise back to postseason prominence.
“It feels good because in 2015, that could have been our game to win against Minnesota, but I’m happy to be back in the semifinals again. It feels like a 360 in my head. … I’m just so excited to be back here again with this group of women, and the job’s not done yet,” Howard says.
Stephanie White, who coached the Fever at the time with Howard on the roster, credits her forward for being the rock that the team needed during times of strife this season.
“Tash is our vet, and her leadership has been incredible,” White says. “It’s been a season that’s had peaks and valleys, and she’s led us through it. She’s experienced championships and everything in this league. … She understands it, and no matter what, her leadership has been steady and so important. Our team has been a reflection of that.”
The notion of moving on in the playoffs looked to be on shaky grounds in game one when Indiana fell on the road to Atlanta, 80-68, after a 12-point second quarter doomed them coming out of halftime.
In game two, the script was flipped after the defense of Indiana propelled them to a 77-60 rout at home. Holding Atlanta to 15 points or less in three of four quarters, a feat that had only been achieved one other time this season league-wide, their defense set the tone while their offense marched to the tune of 42 percent from the field and 3-point range.
Throughout the season, White has preached that many players on the roster have been the foundation of the team, but from the view of Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever’s head coach has been the glue.
“I’ve had five coaches in eight years. I’ve been on teams with the worst records here in Indiana, so I know where my career started. I know what I’ve had to go through to be in this position. I’ve never had a coach pour into me, respectfully, like Steph has. … For the first time in my career, I feel like I’m valued by what I bring to the table as a player and a person,” Mitchell says.
Coming off an AP All-WNBA First Team nomination, Mitchell kept at the same offensive clip when averaging 23.3 points per game throughout their first round series.
After scoring 19 of her game-high 24 points in the first half, Mitchell’s layup with two minutes remaining in game three may have been her most important. Her score at the rim not only cut Atlanta’s lead to 3, but spurred an 8-0 by Indiana that saw Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston also finishing in the paint to ultimately lift them to an 87-85 series clinching win.
Offensively, Indiana’s approach coming off of ball screens was pivotal to their success, but White also notes that once again, Mitchell was the key to their win.
“Kelsey puts us on her back a lot,” she says. “We run her ragged, but she’s so dangerous in those ball screens, and I think what you’ve seen in the last two months is not that she’s a great scorer, but the gravity that she brings. She makes the right plays, the right reads, and you put the ball in her hands to be a playmaker for us.”
Indiana faces the Las Vegas Aces on the road in game one of the semifinals, starting Sunday with a 3 p.m. tip.
