WNBA playoffs: Fever's ‘next woman up’ mentality got them to the doorstep of the Finals, and they're already hungry for more

LAS VEGAS — Caitlin Clark was the first to meet them, striding onto the Michelob Ultra Arena court in an all-black sweatsuit. Aliyah Boston followed in the warm-up jacket she donned for the final five minutes. And Kelsey Mitchell remained at the hospital receiving fluids, represented in spirit by franchise legend Tamika Catchings wearing her “Stranger Things” jersey in the baseline seats.

There is nothing more emblematic of the Indiana Fever’s 2025 season than the sight of that trio unable to play in overtime of a deciding Game 5 against the dynasty-building Las Vegas Aces. It’s all the more symbolic that no matter who was on the court, they fought to the end and nearly made magic before the underdog story ended in a 107-98 loss.

“Our entire motto has been ‘next woman up’ and ‘be ready, stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready,’ and I feel like that’s exactly what happened tonight,” Boston said.

The Fever’s season is a story of resilience and perseverance that didn’t cease in their fourth elimination game of the postseason, even if this one had a different result. The No. 6 seed traded buckets with the Aces, who are off to their third Finals in four years, throughout the first half. There were 13 lead changes and 14 ties, with neither side able to separate as MVP finalists Mitchell and Aces forward A’ja Wilson led their charges.

Las Vegas tore off an 8-2 run for a 59-52 lead four minutes into the third quarter, and Mitchell answered with a 3-pointer that pulled them within four again. At the other end, she suddenly grabbed referee Isaac Barnett for support under the basket while a foul was called, and Barnett helped her to the floor.

Players hurried around Mitchell and she was able to leave the court with trainers, unable to move her right leg. Boston came back to the bench emotional, and assistant Karima Christmas-Kelly, the longest-tenured on staff, pinched the bridge of her nose while stepping away from the bench to gather herself.

Fever head coach Stephanie White said afterward that Mitchell, the longest tenured Fever player who lost plenty early in her career, experienced a lot of “lower body cramping” and went to the hospital for fluids. Days earlier in Indianapolis, she spoke glowingly of how proud she was of Mitchell to have a successful postseason after her history with the franchise.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of experience in rallying around teammates,” White said, her voice breaking. “And this group is all heart, man. It’s just really hard to put into words. They’re just special.”

It was a scary moment in the arena because of how quickly players moved and the stretcher came out. Everyone supportively cheered her exit, and chants of “Let's Go Fever” broke out from the large contingent of fans that hours earlier roared in appreciation when Mitchell asked for a marker from staffers so she could sign autographs down the line.

The Aces led, 61-55, on Wilson’s basket and built a nine-point lead off a 3-pointer by Jackie Young. By all accounts, it was the Aces finally pulling away.

But the Fever don’t live in that type of world. They’re believers, because if you’re the Fever living through a season of injury turmoil, still able to reach the semifinals, why wouldn’t you be? It was a season of figuring it out, no matter the situation, Boston said, and they almost always do.

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They’ve played three-quarters of the season without Clark, an MVP vote-earner as a rookie who dealt with soft tissue injuries all year. Indiana won the Commissioner's Cup championship despite her being on the bench. Their guard depth was decimated in a single game with injuries to Aari McDonald, a hardship signing, and Sydney Colson. And 10 days later, they watched Sophie Cunningham go down. Chloe Bibby, a late-season hardship signing, also was ruled out last month. Damiris Dantas has been out with a concussion.

Every time, the Fever kept fighting.

“They keep getting back up. Collectively,” White said. “And I think oftentimes in sport we see one that might, two that might. They kept getting back up collectively. There's no circumstance that we went through on or off the floor, because we had some off-the-floor stuff too, that they blinked. That they held their heads down. That they didn’t just stand tall and face head-on. You don’t see a lot of that nowadays.

They made the playoffs, upset the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and climbed back against the No. 2 Aces without Mitchell. Indiana tied the game at 84 with 52 seconds to play on Boston’s layup, and 86 with 22.5 seconds to force overtime.

“We already did it like six times already, so, what’s a seventh honestly?” Brianna Turner said of the rally. “So I guess we were prepared for it. It happens.”

The overtime-forcing jumper by Odyssey Sims came after Boston fouled out on a call White challenged, but lost. Lexie Hull said White told them in the huddle they were built for this moment.

If you had told someone in May which players would be on the court for the Fever in overtime of a semifinal elimination game, the shrieks of disbelief would be louder than Michelob Ultra Arena on Tuesday. Turner averaged 8.6 minutes per game this season. Sims, who scored a team-high 27 points, and Shey Peddy signed hardship contracts seven weeks ago. Hull was intended as a sixth player until she moved into the starting lineup in free agent signing DeWanna Bonner’s absence and eventual departure. Natasha Howard was the only player intended to start in May.

“We’ve been here before,” Hull said. “It’s just so unlucky. So crazy that that had to happen tonight. And for us to be able to bounce back and still fight, and still close out a game … that’s something to be proud of.”

White said the goal was to make Vegas take tough shots, and the Aces did that en route to a Finals in which they will hold home-court advantage against the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury. Jewell Loyd hit a 3-pointer, Chelsea Gray scored five in her clutch playoff role renewed, and reserve Dana Evans hit a jumper to go up, 101-95. They rode out free throws to win.

Outside of losing on the brink of the Finals, it’s difficult to find many true losses in the Fever’s season-long run. White grew emotional multiple times this season while speaking about her team’s ability to push forward despite mounting adversity. Their bench mob could win games as a starting five, but it was those on the court who kept the victories coming and built a championship foundation.

“They’re a great example to everybody what it means to just put one foot in front of the other, to persevere, to welcome people into the fold, to not give into circumstance, to lead with grace and dignity, to sacrifice for a greater good and a common good,” White said. “I’m just so thankful to coach these women and I’m just thankful for this experience with them.”

WNBA teams don’t typically win on their first deep run in the playoffs, but they do build championships out of adversity and experience. No one knows what the offseason will bring, given collective bargaining negotiations, but Clark and Boston will return next year on rookie contracts, and it seems likely Mitchell will as well, given her relationship with White.

In lockstep, Boston answered correctly for White that the coach will begin thinking about next year the day after the loss. Boston is hungry for more, she said, and urged on the idea that they have a taste now.

Last year, they made the first round; this year, they reached an unlikely semifinal. Postgame, Boston interrupted a question about that progression:

"Dang, you know what's next, right? Finish it."