Indiana Fever Have Reason for Optimism Despite Valkyries Loss
The Indiana Fever's rematch with the Golden State Valkyries did not go the way they had hoped.
Caitlin Clark struggled in the loss to Golden State, and Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston never really got going either. It's extremely rare to see the members of the team's big three only put up a combined 43 points—but even with the limited output from the superstar trio, the Fever only lost by two. And that's while facing the league's number one team in net rating on the road.
Close losses have been a theme for the Fever this season. Indiana sits at 4-3 on the year, with all three losses coming by a combined 7 points. Not to mention, the Fever had a chance to at least tie as time expired in every loss.
Of course, the old Bill Parcells line about being what your record says you are applies in this instance. And no one wants to spin analytics in order to count nonexistent wins like Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, however, those numbers do show that the Fever are not far off even when they don't win.
Some of Indiana's overall stats have taken a bit of a dive following two consecutive games against the WNBA's best defense—one of which was a victory. But the Fever themselves currently sit third in net rating and are operating at the league's second highest pace, despite those two games coming against a Valkyries team near the bottom in that category.
They've also moved up to fourth in defensive rating following a slow start there, though Clark and company will continue to look to improve in that department.
Fever Face Off With Portland Fire Before Another Break
The Fever have needed to integrate new pieces, and both Clark and Boston have each missed a game so far. Still, they clearly aren't far off.
Indiana has one more matchup to get right in Portland versus the Fire, before they hit another break in the schedule. After Saturday, Indiana won't play again until a Thursday tilt with Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream at home, followed by a trip to Brooklyn to face the New York Liberty a week after the game against the Fire.
While the Valkyries combination of length and athleticism poses a unique challenge, the simultaneous struggles from Clark, Mitchell, and Boston are likely to be an isolated event.
The Fever will surely attempt to close games better in the clutch, but they are close to putting it all together.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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