WNBA on ESPN 2 Preview: Indiana, New York Set To Square Off In Decisive Game 3


In a season where the Eastern Conference seemed to be as wide open as ever before, it seems only fitting that the conference title will come down to a third and decisive game. The New York Liberty are set to host the Indiana Fever in a winner-take-all Game 3 Tuesday night.

But how did we get to this point? The answer is a combination of Fever head coach Stephanie White and Fever forward Tamika Catchings. During Sunday’s Game 2, the Fever found themselves down by 18 points at one point and struggling to get anything going offensively. New York’s defense had stifled Indiana in the first half and didn’t allow the Fever to get into a rhythm.

Indiana and Catchings put together a run that had New York on its heels late in the fourth quarter. With just under three minutes to play, Catchings put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket. When Liberty guard Candice Wiggins sagged down to help, Catchings kicked the ball out to Shenise Johnson in the corner, who drained a three-pointer to give Indiana its first lead of the series.

Although New York continued to trade blows, the entire tone of the game’s final few minutes was dictated by Indiana. Marissa Coleman hit two huge three-pointers and Catchings’ pull-up jumper with just under a minute left gave Indiana a lead it would not relinquish.

Credit for the victory has to go as much to White as it does to Catchings. She tinkered with the lineup and kept her team focused and together as they clawed their way back from a steep deficit.

Now, the series shifts to Madison Square Garden, where the Liberty will try to accomplish something they’ve already done once this postseason – close out a series on their home floor. Likewise, Indiana will be trying to clinch a berth in the next round on the road, just like it did against Chicago.

Keys To The Game

Defense. Both teams take pride in their defensive intensity, and it will be of utmost importance in Game 3. Indiana – the league’s most accurate three-point shooting team during the regular season – was ice cold from distance in Game 1, while New York shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc.

In Game 2, those fates swapped as Indiana defended the three-point line much more effectively and hit the shots that weren’t falling in the first game. With a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line, both teams will have to be locked in defensively.

Epiphanny Prince. Prince was vital to New York’s success in the regular season and her impact has been even more crucial in the postseason. When she struggles from the floor, the Liberty lean on Tina Charles and hope they can get enough of a lift from their bench to push them over the top. When both Charles and Prince are clicking, New York is tough to beat – as was evidenced in the first game of the series.

Prince is crafty enough with the ball that she’ll find a way to get her shots; it’s just a matter of whether she’s hitting them. Her play can push the needle in either direction Tuesday night – either lifting New York or allowing Indiana to make an impact on the road.

Tamika Catchings. Catchings is no stranger to pressure. In her 14th season in the WNBA, Catchings finds herself on the brink of elimination, but also on the cusp of the WNBA Finals. So don’t expect her to shy away from the moment Tuesday night.

Catchings was huge in both of Indiana’s back-against-the-wall games against the Chicago Sky, and she was huge once again in Sunday’s Game 2. When the lights are shining in Madison Square Garden, expect Catchings to lay it all on the line. New York will likely make adjustments to how it plays her, but as seasoned of a player as she is, Catchings will surely find her fair share of ways to impact the game.

What’s At Stake?

For Indiana, a win would put them in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2012, and they’d be paired against the same franchise they knocked off that year – the Minnesota Lynx. The significance of a trip to the Finals would be massive in terms of a broader historical perspective, though. Head coach Stephanie White is vying to become the first ever head coach with zero prior head coaching experience to make the WNBA Finals in her first season.

For New York, a win would push them ever closer to achieving a season-long goal. Head coach Bill Laimbeer preached a simplified message to his team after its Game 1 loss to Washington in the Eastern Conference Semifinals: Win the rest of your home games and you’ll be WNBA champs. That’s still in the cards for New York, and a win Tuesday would give the Liberty their first trip to the WNBA Finals since 2002.