INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever have gone from not winning a playoff game in a decade to stacking at least three this postseason.
Much of the momentum has come from guard Kelsey Mitchell, who has delivered in big moments and helped fuel the Fever’s run.
Mitchell scored a playoff career-high 34 points in Indiana’s 89-73 win over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.
“I’m really happy for her; she deserves this,” Fever general manager and COO Amber Cox said. “She deserves this opportunity, and I’m just so grateful that she has stuck with us through the years and is a part of this team and the legacy of this franchise.”
Cox said making sure Mitchell remained on the roster this season was a top priority.
“She’s a really important name that is going to go down in the history books for the Indiana Fever,” Cox said.
Scott Agness, host of The Fieldhouse Files podcast, said Mitchell’s growth has been evident under head coach Stephanie White.
“White made it a point to talk with Kelsey Mitchell and establish a relationship the day after she was hired,” Agness said. “I think that has played a significant role in all this because Kelsey Mitchell has had a career year, and she has never looked as comfortable, confident and content in herself and her playing style.”
Going into this series in the semifinals, the Fever have been dubbed the underdogs against the Las Vegas Aces.
“The Fever picked them apart,” Agness said. “It wasn’t a matter of them having one big quarter or one big burst. No, they outscored the Aces every single quarter.”
Cox says they know they have a tough road of basketball ahead of them with this hot Aces team and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson leading the way.
"We have to be focused on the task ahead of us, make whatever adjustments the coaches see on film, things we can do better and just be as ready as we can be for a really tough team."
Game 2 tips off at 9:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN.
