Despite a valiant effort to make a run through the playoffs, the Indiana Fever fell just short on Tuesday night in a crushing 107-98 overtime loss in Game 5 of the semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces.
It's impossible to put this Fever season in context without talking about the number of injuries that shook the roster up over the course of the season. By the end of the year, Caitlin Clark was out with a groin injury, Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending knee injury, and even star guard Kelsey Mitchell went down during Game 5 against the Aces and missed most of the second half and overtime.
Somehow, the Fever were still able to grind through a three-game series against the Atlanta Dream, winning a deciding Game 3 on the road, before taking two games off of the Aces and pushing them to the brink even with all of the attrition. After the loss on Tuesday night, Cunningham sent a warning to the rest of the league in a post on social media.
“us. can’t make this season up! so much to be proud of,” Cunningham wrote alongside a team picture on X, formerly Twitter. “you better believe we are coming for EVERYBODY next season.”
Cunningham and the Fever certainly have one of the best rosters in the league when healthy, and that was on display with their ability to compete in the postseason even without Clark. Aliyah Boston and Mitchell both came up big and Lexie Hull made play after play on both ends. Stephanie White has also established herself as one of the best coaches in basketball, so this team should be a force for years to come.
On the other side, the Aces will battle it out with the Phoenix Mercury for the WNBA title after knocking off the Fever. It would be the third ring in four seasons for the Aces, which would be a monumental achievement. They had to prove their worth against a stern test issued by the Fever, and now they will have a chance to cap it off with a trophy with three more wins.
