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Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com
Katie Douglas to what was already the league's best defense in 2006 and 2007, "has the potential to put the Fever amongst the WNBA's all-time great defenses." 10 games into the season, that looks like an understatement. It's early, but Indiana is defending at a pace that would make the Fever the top defense in league history. The best method for comparing defenses is to evaluate their Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) as compared to league average. So far, Indiana's Defensive Rating has been 12.9 percent better than the league as a whole. No other team in WNBA history has reached such heights.
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What makes the Fever's defense remarkable, from a statistical perspective, is that the team is outstanding in every aspect of defense. Dean Oliver's Four Factors of Basketball break down offense and defense into four core components - defending the shot (as measured by effective field-goal percentage), defensive rebounding, forcing turnovers and keeping the opponent off the free-throw line. The "weakness" of Indiana's defense, from this perspective, is defensive rebounding. The Fever ranks only fourth in the league in terms of defensive rebound percentage.
What makes Indiana's defense remarkable, from a subjective perspective, is that the team is doing it without the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Tamika Catchings, the Fever's star player, missed the season's first eight games while recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. Catchings returned to the lineup Sunday against San Antonio, but her minutes remain limited. In her debut, Catchings had two points in 12 minutes, but she shook off the rust in Wednesday's win over New York. In that game, Catchings finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 14 minutes.
The addition of Douglas, a two-time All-Star, has done wonders to help Indiana survive Catchings' absence. Last year, she missed 13 games with an unrelated foot injury and the Fever went 5-8 in that span. A similarly slow start this year might have been costly in terms of playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference with Connecticut and Detroit both playing well. However, Indiana went 5-3 in Catchings' absence, keeping the team in position to catch the East's leaders. Douglas is a big reason for the difference. Not only is she an outstanding perimeter defender, but Douglas has also developed into an elite scorer. At 18.4 points per game, Douglas ranks seventh in the league. Her efficiency has suffered because of the load she has been carrying (Douglas is shooting 39.2 percent from the field, down from 42.8 percent a year ago), but that should come around as Catchings gets healthy and draws the attention of opposing defenses.
Despite Douglas' production and double-figure scoring from guard Tan White, the Fever's offense has struggled, to put it politely, in the early going. Indiana ranks 13th in the WNBA in Offensive Rating, ahead of only the expansion Atlanta Dream. The same trend was apparent last year, when the team's offense sunk in Catchings' absence while the defense remained strong. That's strange given that Catchings, while the team's leading scorer, is better known for her defense than her offense. However, she does carry a big load and especially last year was surrounded by role players who had a tougher time when asked to create more of their own offense. Knowing it will be difficult to score without Catchings, the Fever seems to improve upon even its usual focus on the defensive end, producing remarkable numbers.
Certainly, even without Catchings Indiana has plenty of defensive talent. Point guard Tully Bevilaqua, a member of the Storm during the 2004 championship season, was an All-Defensive First Team pick in 2005 and 2006 before slipping to Second Team a year ago. When Bevilaqua is off the floor, backup guard Sherill Baker has continued putting pressure on the ball. Up front, the Fever has a pair of paint presences in center Tammy Sutton-Brown and forward Ebony Hoffman. Sutton-Brown is a shot-blocker, averaging 1.4 a night. Hoffman has stepped into the starting lineup and been one of the league's most improved players, averaging 7.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. She's a big reason Indiana has been so strong on the glass.
Overseeing the Fever's defense are a pair of familiar faces. Lin Dunn, the Seattle Storm's first head coach, has assumed the same position in Indiana after spending the last four years as an assistant coach with the Fever. Dunn brought in her lead assistant from Seattle, Gary Kloppenburg. It is Kloppenburg who is the architect of the team's defense, using many of the same pressure tactics his father Bob pioneered as an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Storm enters tonight's game looking to snap a season-long three-game losing streak. What might help in that effort is the two days of practice the team has had, Wednesday and Thursday, to correct problem areas and prepare for the Fever.
"We always have great results after we practice two, three times together," said Storm center 
Yolanda Griffith, who is a game-time decision tonight after missing the Storm's last two games. "Just to review things we didn't do against teams and getting that chemistry that we need with each other and a better understanding of the offense, knowing what we've got to do on the defensive end. Practice has helped us a lot."
Indeed, the Storm is 5-0 this season when going into a game with at least two days off. The team is 2-4 playing on one day of rest and 0-2 in the second half of back-to-back sets. It hasn't hurt that the five games with extra rest have all been played at KeyArena, where the Storm lost for the first time Monday against Connecticut. However, as the team learns Head Coach Brian Agler's system, practice is especially valuable.
"Whenever we get a chance to practice, for us it's a good thing," Agler said. "I guess we'll gauge if it makes a difference on game night."
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The Fever prefers using White in a sixth woman role off the bench, where she can be spotted to take advantage of her scoring ability. However, she's started this season and presumably will continue to do so at least until Catchings is able to play enough minutes to make sense as a starter. Usually one of the league's streakiest players, White has provided more consistency this season, scoring double-figures eight times in 10 games. White is still capable of going off, as evidenced by a pair of 20-point-plus outings. Whether she starts in place of Griffith or comes off the bench, Storm guard  Tanisha Wright will likely match up with White throughout the game, looking to contain her offense.
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Lauren Jackson alone had 21 as the Storm built a 23-point lead. Seattle led by as many as 35 in the third quarter before the Fever rallied to make the final score respectable. Jackson led the Storm with 27 points and 10 rebounds and scored her 4,000th career point in the game, becoming the fifth player in WNBA history to reach the milestone.
Yolanda Griffith (left knee/ankle) is a game-time decision.
Indiana - Forward Tamika Catchings (right Achilles surgery) is probable. Center Tammy Sutton-Brown (right Achilles tendinitis) is day-to-day.
