Stephanie White Explains Fever’s Approach to Playing Starters vs. Lynx

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White was very clear about how she's handling her team's final regular season game.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with the media before the game between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's a lot of intrigue around how the Indiana Fever will treat their final regular season game against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, regarding the minutes their starters will receive.

Fever head coach Stephanie White made her strategy crystal clear when speaking to the media on Thursday morning.

"I'm analyzing it in that we want our team to be playing our best basketball heading into the postseason," White said when asked how she's approaching her rotations for tonight's game and whether she's analyzing where Indiana might end up in the standings, per a YouTube video from the Fever.

She was then asked whether she plans to play everybody like a regular game and said, "Yeah. I mean, as long as it's a game, we want to win. We want to win. We want to be playing our best basketball."

White was then asked about balancing game-planning for the Lynx and ensuring her team is in the best shape possible for Sunday's game.

"I think every team is different. With this team, we want to be where our feet are. We've got to focus on the moment. We've got to continue to make incremental growth in our approach, and our mentality, and our preparation. As coaches, of course, we're looking at the broader perspective, and we're talking about the way that we can make our micro adjustments and things that we can do," White said.

"We'll challenge them in a little bit in those ways today. But we've got to take care of business, and we've got to play every game, and we need to make sure that we're playing our best basketball heading into the postseason," she added.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White speaks with a referee during a game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stephanie White Asserts Fever's Priorities Before Postseason

There's a case to be made that Indiana should at least consider resting their starters against the Lynx. For one, the Fever will want their top players to be as healthy and rested as possible for their first playoff game on Sunday, regardless of who they're facing.

Some Fever fans even feel like the team is better suited to losing on Thursday, because that will mean they take the No. 6 seed and likely face the No. 3-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the first round, as opposed to winning, getting the No. 5 seed, and facing the Atlanta Dream, who are a worse matchup for Indiana than Las Vegas.

But White is right in saying that the priority should be the Fever firing on all cylinders heading into the postseason. That's more important than their opponent, and White would be making a mistake if she intentionally threw the Fever's rotations off just to get a better first round matchup.

The Fever are looking to beat the Lynx on Thursday, if only because that will keep Indiana in its current groove. This is why White is treating it like a normal game.