'A team that can win now': Are Clark, Fever built for WNBA title run?

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a play with the Indianapolis 500 qualifying successful municipality and the Pacers preparing for the Eastern Conference finals, the Indiana Fever's play opener took a backseat to nary one.

Last season, Caitlin Clark took the WNBA by tempest and helped the Fever drawback a seven-year playoff drought.

After an assertive offseason focused connected supplementing the prima powerfulness of Clark and Aliyah Boston, the Fever entered 2025 reasoning overmuch bigger.

"My anticipation is for america to effort to triumph a championship," Clark told media members earlier Indiana's opener against the Chicago Sky. "But erstwhile I instrumentality the court, that's not what I'm reasoning about. It's what tin we bash each azygous possession to triumph the game."

Indiana past torched the Sky 93-58, and Clark had a triple-double. Led by Stephanie White, successful her 2nd stint arsenic coach, the Fever had a cleanable commencement to the 2025 season.

A week later, they took the undefeated, defending champion New York Liberty to the last seconds earlier falling 90-88. After going 1-3 against the Liberty past season, including 2 blowout losses, the Fever present looked similar they were connected much communal crushed and led by 12 astatine 1 point. It was the benignant of crippled that seemingly validated the team's title speech and offseason makeover.

But things rapidly got a batch much complicated.

Clark, the 2024 No. 1 draught prime and WNBA Rookie of the Year, was sidelined May 26 by a near quad strain, the archetypal clip successful her pro oregon assemblage careers she has missed immoderate games. The Fever are 4-5 overall, 2-3 without her. They anticipation she mightiness instrumentality Saturday erstwhile they again big the Liberty (ABC, 3 p.m. ET).

"Since the commencement of the season, Steph has told america that things aren't going to beryllium cleanable and not everything is going to spell the mode we think," Fever guardant Aliyah Boston told ESPN. "You person to beryllium acceptable to look immoderate happens."

With Clark connected the court, the Fever looked similar contenders. But Indiana's ups and downs successful the archetypal period besides amusement the trouble translating imaginable to raising a trophy. And adjacent with consecutive No. 1 picks Boston and Clark, the title model is much contiguous than 1 mightiness think.

"The borderline for mistake erstwhile you're talking astir playing championship-caliber teams is truthful small," White said.

In Clark, the Fever person 1 of the astir fashionable athletes successful the country, a subordinate with the accomplishment and charisma to garner a nonstop spotlight that has dispersed to the full organization. The Fever person tried to situation her arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable with the close cast.

"Caitlin's a subordinate that close present has the astir endowment astir her that she's ever had," White added. "Our occupation arsenic coaches is however we fig retired however to enactment america successful presumption to beryllium the champion squad that we tin be."

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How antithetic is the Fever's discourtesy without Caitlin Clark?

Rebecca Lobo joins "SportsCenter" and analyzes the Indiana Fever's discourtesy the past 3 games without Caitlin Clark.

THE FEVER WERE erstwhile a perennial playoff team, reaching 12 consecutive postseasons from 2005 to 2016 and winning the 2012 WNBA title. In 2022, they won a program-worst 5 games arsenic their playoff drought stretched on. But with the archetypal prime successful the 2023 draft, Indiana selected Boston, who went connected to triumph rookie of the year.

Now, contempt however young their stars are, the Fever are connected the clock. Some teams successful nonrecreational sports ascend to the apical with agelong builds, but a communal mentality among ownership and beforehand offices present is to instrumentality a accidental erstwhile it presents itself.

The precedents successful the WNBA are the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces. The Storm had back-to-back No. 1 picks successful 2001 (Lauren Jackson) and 2002 (Sue Bird), past won a title successful 2004. They were inactive unneurotic for a 2010 title.

Then it happened again for the Storm with Jewell Loyd successful 2015 and Breanna Stewart successful 2016, followed by a title successful 2018. The Storm won again successful 2020.

Las Vegas had 3 consecutive No. 1 selections: Kelsey Plum (2017, erstwhile the franchise was inactive successful San Antonio), A'ja Wilson successful 2018 and Jackie Young successful 2019. The Aces reached the 2020 Finals and past won the 2022 and 2023 championships.

The Fever's 20-20 grounds successful 2024 was impervious their title model was open. In came a revamped encephalon spot -- coach, wide manager and president -- for 2025.

They prioritized the instrumentality of the longest-tenured Fever player, escaped cause defender Kelsey Mitchell. For offseason additions, the Fever targeted players with a batch of playoff experience: forwards DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard and guards Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson.

"Last year, our extremity was getting backmost to the playoffs," Clark said. "This year, our beforehand bureau made a batch of truly large changes to beryllium capable to enactment this roster unneurotic and conception a squad that tin triumph present -- if we bash everything the close way."

Howard was the No. 5 prime by the Fever successful the 2014 draft; she spent 2 seasons successful Indiana, including competing successful the 2015 WNBA Finals. Since then, she has played for Minnesota, Seattle, New York and Dallas, winning championships with the Lynx (2017) and Storm (2018, 2020).

Howard, finishing a cupful of crystal pick aft practice, said she spends precise small clip connected societal media but noticed the effect erstwhile she signed with the Fever earlier this year.

"The fans were like, 'We're truly blessed you're backmost here.' I loved it," Howard said with a smile.

Faces from the Fever's past are everyplace astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse, arsenic if the bully vibes from the franchise's champion days are channeled into the present. White, who coached the Sun successful 2023 and 2024, is backmost wherever she spent 11 years arsenic a subordinate and coach. Team president Kelly Krauskopf was the Fever's archetypal GM erstwhile the franchise launched successful 2000. She near to beryllium adjunct GM of the Pacers successful 2018 and present has returned.

Former Fever players Briann January, Karima Christmas-Kelly and Tully Bevilaqua are portion of the coaching staff. Lin Dunn, the longtime Fever caput manager including for the 2012 title, stepped successful arsenic GM successful 2022 erstwhile the franchise was astatine stone bottommost pursuing superstar Tamika Catchings' status successful 2016.

Dunn, 78, had retired from hoops but agreed to return, saying she thought she could marque advancement successful 3 seasons. She did, and she remains with the squad arsenic a elder advisor.

Current GM Amber Cox and Bonner are caller to the Fever, but some callback the ambiance erstwhile Indiana played successful its archetypal WNBA Finals successful 2009. They were with the Fever's opponent, the Phoenix Mercury, which bushed Indiana successful 5 games.

In 2009, Bonner, present 37 and a parent of 7-year-old twins, was a WNBA rookie; Clark was 7 years old.

"Sometimes, I conscionable say, 'Oh my god, you kids!' " Bonner said, laughing, astir her younger teammates. "But astatine the aforesaid time, that keeps maine going."

Bonner won 2 titles with the Mercury and past played successful the 2022 Finals with Connecticut, wherever she spent 2020-24. She didn't travel to Indiana to instrumentality over, but to acceptable in.

"I felt similar they had their chemistry already with their core, with CC, Kelsey and AB," Bonner told ESPN. "They conscionable needed a fewer much accessories astir them -- bully people. We person bully vigor successful the locker room. You ever tin archer -- earlier you measurement connected the tribunal -- what it's going to beryllium similar by the locker country first."

Cunningham said she was pleased to beryllium traded to Indiana contempt enjoying six seasons successful Phoenix, wherever she was drafted successful 2019. The Fever's benignant of play appealed to her, and she was acceptable for a change.

"It felt similar it was clip to go," Cunningham told ESPN. "And everything astir this made sense."

Cunningham is simply a high-energy player, overmuch similar defender Lexie Hull, whom the Fever picked No. 6 successful the 2022 draft.

"In sports, determination are 2 types of chemistry: the on-court chemistry and past the things you don't truly cognize until you get everybody unneurotic and spot however they interact," Krauskopf told ESPN. "It tin look bully connected paper, but you person to spot it play out. This group, they each privation it to beryllium successful. They privation the chemistry to work."

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Caitlin Clark's 3rd-quarter surge outdone by Liberty's precocious comeback

Caitlin Clark's third-quarter surge falls abbreviated arsenic Liberty predominate successful the 4th quarter.

BEFORE CLARK WAS sidelined by injury, the Fever were 2-2 and had mislaid those games by a full of 3 points.

On May 20 astatine home, the Fever mislaid 91-90 to Atlanta successful a crippled that came down to a last possession. Four days aboriginal came the two-point nonaccomplishment to New York successful Indianapolis. They had a accidental to triumph oregon necktie connected the last possession, but seasoned Liberty defender Natasha Cloud knocked the shot distant from Clark and clip expired. That was the past clip Clark played.

"We are 2 possessions from being 4-0," Clark said aft falling to New York. "But determination were truthful galore small areas of this crippled we could person improved. It decidedly stings, but this is what's going to marque america amended astatine the extremity of the year."

Then Clark was injured. Without her, the Fever mislaid back-to-back games to Washington and Connecticut, 2 teams not projected to beryllium successful the playoffs this season. And much injuries followed. Cunningham has been constricted to 4 games due to the fact that of an ankle injury. And successful that late-May nonaccomplishment to the Sun, Colson exited with a limb injury, leaving the Fever with 8 players the remainder of the crippled and down to their 4th constituent defender option.

Signing defender Aari McDonald via a hardship objection helped Indiana bounce backmost to bushed the Mystics successful their 2nd gathering connected June 3. And connected June 7, successful beforehand of much than 19,000 fans successful the archetypal WNBA crippled played astatine Chicago's United Center, the Fever crushed the Sky for a 2nd clip this season, winning 79-62. White missed that crippled dealing with household concerns, past returned Tuesday arsenic the Dream snapped the Fever's two-game triumph streak, 77-58.

Aliyah Boston's ratio has been disconnected the charts successful the past 4 games. Shooting 78% successful that agelong (all w/o Caitlin Clark). She averages 12.8 FGA with CC and lone 6.8 FGA w/o her, successful akin minutes (31mg v 28mg). Could beryllium poised for a monster scoring outburst erstwhile CC returns.

Throughout her wounded absence, Clark has been an enthusiastic "assistant coach."

"She doesn't similar sitting still," Hull said. "She likes being occupied and having thing to do, truthful the coaches springiness her things to support way of. I mean, you spot it -- she wants to beryllium retired there. She's talking to the refs, she's inactive precise overmuch involved."

A caller video connected societal media showed Clark bouncing a tiny shot connected the sideline and play-wrestling with Colson. "Oh my gosh, she's similar a small kid," Boston joked. "She needs to support herself entertained.

"But seriously, she's ever talking, ever moving. It keeps everything beauteous light. That's her personality."

Boston and Clark clicked arsenic a post-guard duo past season, a transportation that has lone deepened. They're anxious to beryllium connected the tribunal unneurotic again, but they cognize adversity is portion of the journey.

"Everything is not going to beryllium picture-perfect successful a season," Boston said. "You person to beryllium realistic astir it. Whoever is acceptable and steadfast and tin compete, you conscionable person to spell with that."

No 1 knows that amended than Mitchell, present successful her eighth WNBA season. The Fever drafted her astatine No. 2 successful 2018, and she's playing for her 5th manager successful Indiana. She has yet to acquisition a winning play -- past year's .500 grounds was the champion it has been successful her vocation -- and the Fever totaled single-digit victories successful 4 of her seasons.

Mitchell believes successful what the Fever are doing present but besides doesn't sugarcoat things. After Indiana's location nonaccomplishment to Atlanta, she was blunt successful the postgame quality conference.

"Today we failed miserably arsenic a group," Mitchell said. "Awareness, knowing personnel, subject -- being connected apical of that. Being capable to withstand runs.

"I kid you not: This is 1 of the hardest-working groups I've ever seen. [But] immoderate nights are good, immoderate nights are bad. It's portion of being a nonrecreational athlete."

Offense has been the Fever's strongest constituent since Clark has joined the team. Her quality to tally the discourtesy astatine a accelerated gait was elite rapidly into her pro career.

"Oftentimes, we accidental it's similar making music," White said. "It's similar a dance, similar rhythm, each those things."

The Fever person to get amended defensively, particularly compared to past season, erstwhile they had the league's second-worst antiaircraft rating. January, who is successful complaint of the Fever defense, was an outstanding antiaircraft subordinate who brings that to her coaching.

"Bri has truly challenged our radical to beryllium physical, to beryllium up successful their space," Clark said. "If you bash that, you're going to contradict passing lanes, effort to get steals, jam up their handoffs. You're ne'er by yourself; you person built-in help.

"And the happening astir watching movie is, you spell backmost and look and it's ne'er arsenic atrocious arsenic it seems. But it's besides ne'er arsenic bully arsenic it seems."

Perhaps that's the champion mode to look astatine the Fever's play truthful far. At times, they've played truthful good it's understandable wherefore there's truthful overmuch excitement astir them. Other times, the flaws person showed.

"We're preparing ourselves for September and October," Hull said. "If we tin spell done this worldly present to hole for that, it's good. There are times it's not fun, but we're each consenting to enactment successful it, enactment focused and conscionable recognize it's portion of the process."