Fever using Commissioner's Cup final to gauge identity. Money prize is a nice carrot, too

Indianapolis Star

17 hours ago

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White can add another first-time achievement to her list Tuesday when her team plays the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.
White was part of the first Purdue women's basketball national championship team, a member of the inaugural Fever team and helped lead Indiana to its only WNBA championship as an assistant coach in 2012.
'Anytime you get to be part of a first and for me at various levels… it's special,' White said.
The Fever understand the magnitude of Tuesday's contest and its implication as it pertains to expanding Indiana's trophy case. But, there's something more pressing on their conscience: the $500,000 winning prize.
'I think the money has been more top of the mind for them than anything else,' White said.
White added Tuesday's final, which doesn't count toward the regular-season win-loss record, offers the Fever another opportunity to learn and grow. The Fever are 8-8 and eighth in league standings. The Lynx, the defending Commissioner Cup champions, boast a WNBA-best 14-2 record.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier leads the league in scoring with 24.4 points per game and is third in rebounding with 8.5 per game. It's unknown whether the Fever will have Caitlin Clark against Minnesota. Clark is suffering from a left groin injury and told reporters after Sunday's practice she is 'day-to-day from here on out.'
Clark, who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game, has missed the Fever's past two games due to injury. Clark also missed five games earlier this season with a left quad strain. The Fever are 3-4 this season without Clark.
'Nobody said this season was going to be perfect for us. There's always going to be ups and downs, and I think as we get moving here through All-Star, these are the moments we're going to be able to look back on and hopefully be able to give a lot of credit to for certain situations that we were in,' Clark said. 'Injuries or coaches not being here for a couple of games, everyone has been through a little bit of adversity here. Just giving our group credit for being able to stick together and know that whatever is in our locker room is really all we need to go out there and win."
Clark praised her teammates for their resilience amid hardship.
'Honestly, I'm really proud of our group every single day; we come back with the same energy, the same attitude, and wanting to get better,' Clark said. 'Being in situations that have been tough and responding really well every single time is what we could always fall back on.'
The Fever responded well Friday against the Dallas Wings after nearly squandering another double-digit second-half lead. Prior to their matchup against the Wings, Indiana had lost three of its past five games, despite holding a double-digit lead in the final two periods. The Lynx average 20.6 points in the fourth quarter this season, fifth best in the league.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell acknowledged Minnesota's prowess on both ends of the floor and stressed the importance of the Fever preparing intentionally.
'Everything is important up until it tips off that night,' Mitchell said.
Clark added it's a 'huge opportunity' for the Fever to play against the team that fell one game short of a WNBA title last season. While the trophy and money surely make the Commissioner's Cup final special, there's more as to why this isn't just a regular game in July.
The previous three Commissioner Cup winners made the WNBA finals the year they won the in-season tournament. For Mitchell, Tuesday's contest serves as a test to see if Indiana is capable of a deep run into October.
'(This game is) everything, and when I say everything as far as our culture and everything we've established over the course of this season and preseason," Mitchell said. "It's a gut check to see where we are and what we need and how we need to be to make a playoff run.'
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The Lynx will host Tuesday's Commissioner Cup championship against the Fever at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
The Commissioner's Cup is the WNBA's in-season tournament, pitting the Eastern and Western Conferences against each other. Teams played five games against different conference opponents, and those games — which are also a part of the regular season — ran from June 3-17.
Eastern Conference teams included the Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.
Western Conference Teams were the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, and Las Vegas Aces.
The Eastern Conference teams played five games as part of cup play, but the Western Conference teams, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, played six games in cup play.
The two teams with the best cup play in their respective conferences play in the Commissioner's Cup final, which will be on July 1. In this case, the Fever and the Lynx. This game does not count toward the regular-season win-loss record.