'We played soft as hell': Fever's Kelsey Mitchell on what needs to be done to make playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS -- Kelsey Mitchell didn’t hide her frustration following the Indiana Fever’s 89-87 loss to the Chicago Sky on Sunday. Mitchell wasn’t pleased with the Fever’s first-half defense, which allowed 54 points.
“We played soft as hell,” Mitchell said. “It’s like nobody felt us. It was just too easy and everything for us was hard. And for us to even be in the conversation for playoffs and for y'all to even come in here after our games, we gotta compete. And we didn’t. And there’s no excuse for it.”
This comment by Mitchell, though, is a sign of progress from a certain point of view. Of course, it is disappointing to lose as the Fever dropped to 5-11 on the season. If the playoffs were to begin today, Indiana would not make it. But for that idea to seem realistic is notable.
The Fever is very much still a work in progress, but they are progressing. Sunday's loss was an example of that.
This is a franchise that has been at the bottom of the league the last few seasons. In 2021, Indiana won six games and finished in last place. Last season, it won five games and finished last by a mile, which included embarrassingly losing its final 18 contests of the campaign.
Though 5-11 this season might not pop off the page, there are some hints of optimism. This season’s five wins already match 2022’s total and we aren’t even at the All-Star game yet. Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, was named an All-Star starter in her rookie season. Mitchell, who had 26 points Sunday, was recently named to her first WNBA All-Star game.
Even in some losses this season, the Fever has been competitive. Six of their 11 losses have been by six points or less.
Improvement takes time. There have still been struggles. But also steps in the right direction.
“I think it's next game mentality,” NaLyssa Smith said of how the Fever have improved from last season. “I think this year, it’s more like we accepted the loss, now we got to go work on us and move on. I think we kinda dwelled a lot because when you lose so many in a row, it’s kinda like repetitive. But I think this year we have a lot more positive energy to reflect on people that are going to keep us up.”
On Sunday, Indiana trailed by 14 points with just less than six minutes left in the 3rd quarter. But they clawed their way back, making it a tight game in the 4th quarter. Chicago’s Courtney Williams hit a shot with less than 20 seconds remaining to put the Sky up by two points. The Fever had multiple chances in the closing seconds but wasn’t able to capitalize.
Ultimately, the Fever’s flawed performance proved to weigh it down. Chicago shot 12-of-28 (42.9%) from deep, compared to Indiana’s 5-for-17 (29.4%). Boston only had four points and committed four turnovers.
But in spite of all that, the Fever gave itself a chance.
“I think we know how to win,” Smith said. “... We just got to play hard for 40 minutes. I think once we get up or get down we kinda drop our heads. We got to learn how to just keep playing and not get satisfied with going up five or going up six. I think just playing hard for 40 minutes and once we do that collectively, we’ll win a lot more games.”
It’s important now whether the Fever can keep improving or fall into a decline. At one point last season, the Fever were 5-13, but didn't win again. They are 5-11 this season. Can they avoid a situation like that this season? In all likelihood, it will require mental resolve.
“For some reason, we expect it to be given,” Mitchell said. “We haven’t earned that right. For us, it’s about taking this game, letting it be a learning experience. We know that Minnesota’s gonna come even harder. So, (we) got a lot of work to do.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever: Here's what needs to be done to make WNBA playoffs
