The Indiana Fever were defeated in their first playoff game of 2024 by a final score of 93-69 against the Connecticut Sun. It was a strong effort by Connecticut, as the Sun clearly looked like the better team. Fever fans immediately begin dreaming of a championship after the team clinched a playoff spot, but Indiana has work to do in order to bounce back in the series.
What went wrong for the Fever in Game 1 of the series? Did the Sun simply out-play them, or did Indiana make too many mistakes?
Fever's inexperience is difficult to ignore
Fever players have the least amount of playoff experience of any team in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. The inexperience displayed itself on Sunday.
Indiana only turned the ball over 13 times. That isn't an ideal mark, but it could have been worse. The Fever did lose the rebound battle (36-29) and assist battle (27-23), but it isn't as if the Sun dominated in any of those areas.
The Fever have struggled on defense in 2024, something that occurred on Sunday. Connecticut shot 49.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Indiana has balanced out their defensive woes with impressive offense of their own, but that failed to come to fruition in Game 1. The Fever ultimately shot just 40.3 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from deep.
Clark has played well all season. She won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and finished fourth in MVP voting. On Sunday, though, the Fever rookie had only 11 points while going 4-17 from the field and 2-13 from three-point land. Kelsey Mitchell played well, scoring 21 points, while Aliyah Boston added 17. Damiris Dantas contributed 12 points off the bench.
However, the rest of the Fever roster struggled from an offensive standpoint. And in a game that saw Indiana's defense deal with consistent frustrations, the Fever needed more all-around offensive production.
Shot selection is important. Sure, the Sun's defense played well. Perhaps postseason nerves impacted Indiana, though, as they were seemingly forcing shots they probably would not have taken during the regular season.
Reason for optimism?
Again, the Fever battled on the boards. They still managed to turn in a positive assist-turnover ratio. Indiana did not play a terrible game despite what the final score may indicate.
Yes, an improved defensive effort would help matters. This Indiana team found success in 2024 despite their lackluster defense, though. While defense certainly wins championships, the Fever's offense needs to get back on track.
Their scoring attack is what led the way in 2024. The Fever found ways to overcome their defensive woes with explosive offense. Of course, having Clark bounce back and play well will be of the utmost importance. In all reality, though, the Fever will need a number of players to step up as they look to avoid elimination in Game 2.