Record: 12-12
Playoff Position: 5th seed
Games Remaining: 10

PRECAPS: San Antonio Stars | Connecticut Sun | Dallas Wings | Washington Mystics | Seattle Storm | Phoenix Mercury | Chicago Sky | Indiana Fever | Atlanta Dream | New York Liberty | Minnesota Lynx

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Pre-Break Recap

The Fever have built the WNBA’s most consistent winner on team play, defensive chops, toughness and — maybe above all — relentlessness.

It’s no coincidence that those are the same qualities that have driven Tamika Catchings through her illustrious 15-year career.

“First and foremost, Tamika Catchings,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said when asked about how Indiana has reached a record 11 consecutive postseasons. “Having a leader that exemplifies the way you want to play.”

Catch sets the tone, and the rest follow. Indiana is following that formula one final time as Tamika heads toward retirement, and once again the Fever are waiting in the weeds to make a deep postseason run.

Don’t let the 12-12 record fool you; the Fever have shown before that they can pace themselves in June and July before heating up come the fall. After a 7-11 start, White felt her group begin to click before the Olympic break.

“Going into the break, we were exactly where we wanted to be,” White said of the Fever’s 5-1 stretch. “We started to really find a rhythm and find a groove. Our chemistry had come together and we were healthy.”

Catchings and second-year forward Natalie Achonwa went off to Rio for the Olympics, but the rest of the group has hardly taken a break. In Indiana, the “break” has been filled with practices and boot camp –with a youth camp and comedy night helping to change the pace.

“It’s a good time to get a physical break and mental break and work on the fundamentals,” said White.

Pre-Break Highlight
July 19th: Fever Hand Sparks 3rd Loss with Complete Effort

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A primetime Tuesday night game on ESPN2 showed just why the Fever are so dangerous. The Sparks came into Indianapolis at 20-2, but left with a 92-82 loss. Tamika Catchings had one of her several turn-back-the-clock games this season, pouring in 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

A road win against the Liberty followed, meaning the Fever beat two of the league’s top three teams consecutively before the Olympic break — proof that they’re no ordinary 12-12 team as they chase a record 12th straight playoff berth.

3 Standouts
Coach White on This Year’s Leaders

Tamika Catchings

“She’s logging more minutes than most people do at age 37 and doing it at a very high level. Give her a lot of credit for having the work ethic and toughness that she has. The last 10-15 games, she was moving better, she was playing at a higher energy level than she may have been [early on], when she was getting back in rhythm with her teammates.

She has the ability to impact the game in more ways than just her numbers. And she still impacts the stat sheet with her scoring, assists and steals.”

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Tiffany Mitchell

“She came out of the gates really strong. Then not only did [starting guard Briann January] come back, but people start to figure out out. They figure out your strengths and try to take them away. In college, that may have taken a few games. In the pros, they’re gonna figure it out by halftime. … She can get to the rim as well as anyone in the league, but teams started to play her for that right-hand drive and forced her to make jump shots. She had to learn to finish shots as opposed to getting to the foul line and to handle the ball with pressure.

Every rookie hits a wall at some point, physically, mentally and emotionally. She hit it for a shorter time than a lot of people; that’s the thing that separates Tiffany Mitchell. Even when your offense goes, you have to be ready on the defensive end — defense, rebounding and competitive toughness is what keeps you on the floor as a rookie. [South Carolina coach] Dawn Staley had her ready for that.

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Lynetta Kizer

“One of the strengths of our team is our balance. It’s really tough to take away our core players, because others step up. [Kizer] always had the potential to be an impact player for our team. She’s really focused on being better defensively and being a better rebounder. And because of that she’s getting more time on the floor, and she’s able to show her handle, her range and her catch-and-shoot ability. She’s always had that in her game; she’s just getting the opportunity because she’s put in the work and she’s taking advantage.

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Season in Photos

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Post-Break Preview

The Fever normally hit their stride at this time of year, but the road to a record 12th consecutive playoff berth won’t be easy. Matchups with each of the league’s top three teams — New York (9/1), L.A. (9/4), then Minnesota (9/16) — are on the horizon, and the Fever have just a three-game cushion between them and eighth place.

While they dug themselves into a bigger hole this time around, their inconsistent 2016 has been reminiscent of 2015, when they reeled off nine wins in 10 games in August. Carrying the momentum of a 5-1 streak before this year’s break to the stretch run will be more challenging.

“We don’t want to peak too early,” said White. “Our goal is not to be the best team the first 10-15 games; our goal is to be the best team the last 10-15 games.”

Finishing strong will be even more important under this season’s new playoff format; the fourth seed — currently held by the Dream, who are 0.5 games ahead of Indiana — now comes with a bye to the second round, skipping the first single-elimination game.