The first round of the WNBA playoffs is a sprint, and after their Game 1 defeat against the Atlanta Dream, the Indiana Fever suddenly find themselves with their backs against the wall. But a best-of-three series means that the series shifted to Indianapolis for Game 2, and the Fever, rallying behind their passionate fanbase at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, managed to upset the Dream, 77-60, to send the series to a decisive Game 3.
Among those in the crowd for the Fever's home playoff game was Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, whose support for his NBA team's WNBA counterpart has never wavered. Haliburton has been supportive of the Fever from day one, and, on Wednesday, he continued being a vocal supporter of the team as he grabbed a microphone and hyped up the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse prior to the start of the fourth quarter of the Fever's eventual 17-point victory.
Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton hypes up the Fieldhouse crowd to start the 4Q.
He’s sitting baseline with fiancée Jade Jones and Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend Connor McCaffery. @WISHNews8 pic.twitter.com/VTdZqNoOPg
— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) September 17, 2025
The Fever were already leading by 15 points heading into the final frame, but Haliburton did not want the fans to rest on their laurels especially with their team's season on the line. And indeed, the crowd at the Fever's home grounds did not falter in making the team know of how much they back them, with Indiana carrying on and sustaining their double-digit lead to send the series back to Atlanta.
As for Haliburton, he and the Pacers shocked the world by making it all the way to the NBA Finals and even coming to within one win away from winning it all. If only Haliburton did not injure his Achilles, then the Pacers might have had enough to outlast the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of that series. Can the Fever borrow a page out of the Pacers' book and stun the WNBA as well by making it deep into the postseason even though Caitlin Clark is out injured?
Can Fever channel some Pacers magic?
The Pacers did not have homecourt advantage in three of the four playoff series they had in 2025; the Fever are unlikely to have homecourt advantage as well if they manage to proceed deeper into the postseason considering that they're the seven-seed heading into the playoffs.
What made the 2025 Pacers such a great team was their ability to get it done on the road; the Fever's mettle away from home will be tested on Thursday, and it will be up to Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston to lead the way.
