THE Fever The front office knew what was missing in 2024: the championship experience.
Indianawho had rebuilt and reset since Tamika Catchings Retired in 2016, was not even in the playoffs since the captures hung up his shoes. It has been seven years not to do the playoffs – in a league where eight of the 12 teams do it.
In 2024, the fever finally pierced. They made the playoffs as a seeded n ° 6 with Caitlin ClarkAliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell pave the way. The only problem? Their departure alignment had no experience in the playoffs. The whole list had 19 games in total leading to the series.
Indiana was swept away by Connecticut Sun, which had more than 222 experienced games in the playoffs.
In 2025, Indiana knew that it needed the playoffs, and more specifically, a championship experience in order to make a deep race.
“Most of the people who win were with other people who won,” Catchings told Indystar on Wednesday. “… you add players to the list who have this winning mentality, which can breathe the team with more responsibility to make sure everyone does what they are supposed to do and they are all aligned . “
No bad blood. Dewanna Bonner wishes to team up with Caitlin Clark despite the playoffs.
Indiana Fever is ready to win now. Dewanna Bonner will show them how.
No one has experience in the playoffs than Dewanna Bonner, whose 87 games in the playoffs lead the WNBA. Thus, the president of the fever Kelly Krauskopf and the director general Amber Cox Signed Le Bonner, 37, As a player who could instantly raise the experience of the fever qualifiers.
The 15 -year -old WNBA veteran won two WNBA championships during his 10 -year term with the Phoenix Mercury, then spent the last five seasons with the Sun where she has led the team at least half -finals of the league each season.
The fever had desperately needed players to show their young Core what it takes to win at this level. They obtained it with the addition of Bonner, 11 -year -old veteran and Treo-champion Natasha Howard,, Twice champion Sydney ColsonAnd the play in the Brianna Turner playoff series.
“I think that is what everyone talked about when we were in the playoffs last year, we didn’t really have much experience by playing eliminatory matches … We really lack this field “,” Clark said after Bonner’s press conference last week. “So, just add pieces of players who have been in this league, they know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to enter the final, they know what it takes to win Championships, I think that’s exactly what we needed in our locker room, so it’s just exciting.
Clark, as she did since she was written No. 1 in total in April 2024, will probably continue to dominate most of the conversations surrounding fever. She led Indiana with 19.2 points and broke the aid record in a season in a season as a recruit with 8.4 per game – 337 in total. She will be the face of the fever, and probably the league, for a long time.
But these experienced players also know how to play alongside a Bonafide star: Bonner and Turner played with Diana Taurasi in Phoenix, Howard played with Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart in Seattle, and Colson played alongside the MVP 3 times a ‘Ja Wilson in Las Vegas.
Howard was a crucial part of her three championship teams on the ground – she was rotating with Minnesota in 2017, then started at Seattle in the ’18 and ’20 seasons. Colson was not a large part of the rotation in Las Vegas, but she kissed the championship mentality with the consecutive titles of the aces in ’22 and ’23.
Caitlin Clark on fever additions: “I will push us all to improve.
More: Natasha Howard will be more than a great fever player. It is also a culture.
These veterans, although they will probably have no roles with the field like the three talls of the fever, will be crucial to cultivate this championship mentality – they know what it takes to win, and they have it done several times.
They can teach young Indiana players, such as Clark, Boston and Mitchell, who were not previously in this place. This mentality, as well as the pure talent for the alignment of Indiana, could easily raise them to a championship competitor.
“We have the people to really (win a championship),” Howard said at his introductory press conference. “I am happy to be part of this and to bring leadership in the desire to show you what it takes a championship. I have three … It’s just to bring this championship mentality to this locker room , to this team, and just guide his team. “
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever: prioritization of experience in the playoffs will help the young team
