Before the 2025 WNBA season began, the Indiana Fever were pegged as a possible championship contender amid a busy offseason that saw the franchise subscribe to a clear objective: surround Caitlin Clark with shooters and floor-spacers to bombard opposing defenses with 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Four months later, the Fever are one of the last four teams standing, though Indiana has taken the scenic route to the semifinals.
The sixth-seeded Fever enter Tuesday night's Game 2 against the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the midst of a three-game winning streak; two more victories against MVP A'ja Wilson and the Aces will see the Fever reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2015.
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Indiana has reached this point without Clark and Sophie Cunningham, who are among five Fever players ruled out for the season through injury. Utilizing the scoring prowess of Kelsey Mitchell and the consistency of star center Aliyah Boston, the Fever's 89-73 win over the Aces in Game 1 proved Indiana's coaching staff correct, as Cunningham revealed during her appearance on The Young Man and the Three.
"A lot of our staff wanted to play the Aces instead of Atlanta (in the first round). And I was like, 'hell no! What are you guys talking about?'" Cunningham said.
Cunningham, who tore her right MCL last month, recalled that the Fever players wanted to play the Dream instead; Indiana ended up defeating Atlanta in three games to reach the semifinals. And though the Fever players may not have relished a matchup with the Aces, Indiana has put Las Vegas on notice ahead of Game 2, which tips off at Michelob ULTRA Arena at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
"To be where we're at now, I just think it shows the fight. It shows that you don't quit," Cunningham said. "This stage that we're playing on is above any other team right now."
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