Insider Preview - Storm vs. Indiana

Propelled by that streak, the Fever has boasted the league's best record virtually the entire season. At 19-6, Indiana leads Phoenix by two games in the loss column in the battle for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and the Fever's lead in the East is virtually insurmountable - five games with nine to play. Indiana has been nearly unbeatable at home, winning all 12 games at Conseco Fieldhouse since the opening loss to the Lynx, and remains above .500 on the road after an upset loss Thursday at Sacramento.

Had the Fever put together this kind of performance a year ago, it would have been no surprise. Coming off a season in which injuries to MVP candidate Tamika Catchings were the main obstacle to Indiana's title hopes, the addition of All-Star guard (and Indiana native) Katie Douglas to the lineup before the 2008 campaign was expected to help the Fever reach the next level. That never materialized, with the Indiana offense struggling and Catchings coming back slowly after missing the start of the season. Despite the league's best defense, Indiana was the No. 4 seed in the East playoffs at 17-17 and was beaten in four games by Detroit.

The Fever's offseason consisted more of tweaking than wholesale changes. Indiana signed Griffith to provide veteran leadership, while drafting rookie Briann January (a native of Spokane) as the heir apparent to former Storm guard Tully Bevilaqua. Since both players are known for their defense, it seemed to be a case of the Fever adding to a strength more than addressing a weakness.

Nonetheless, as we enter the stretch run of the season, the biggest reason Indiana has been so dominant has been a vastly-improved offense. In 2008, the Fever ranked 12th out of 14 teams in Offensive Rating. So far this year, Indiana is third. Given that the Fever's defense has stayed as strong as ever, the improvement in offensive efficiency has produced a balanced squad that is one of only two in the WNBA's top five in both offense and defense.

One key reason for the turnaround has been an unusual one - the free throw line. Not only does Indiana attempt foul shots more frequently per field-goal attempt than any team in the league save Washington, the Fever has been terrific at the line, making 82.2 percent. Phoenix (85.7 percent) is the only other team in the league hitting at least 80 percent of its free throws. Leading scorers Catchings and Douglas both shoot better than 85 percent on their frequent trips to the line, while forward Ebony Hoffman has made 93.0 percent of her free throws.

Douglas has fit in much better in her second season in Indiana. Asked to carry much of the load with Catchings sidelined and teammates not skilled at creating their own shots, Douglas shot 37.1 percent, her worst mark since her rookie season. That has rebounded this year to a more respectable 40.9 percent from the field, and Douglas is averaging a career-best 18.0 points a night. Backcourt-mate Bevilaqua is also averaging a career high at 7.0 ppg, not bad at age 37. With January helping keep her fresh, Bevilaqua is knocking down 40.2 percent of her tries from beyond the arc.

Defensively, the Fever has shut down opponents, who have managed just 93.4 points per 100 possessions. What makes Indiana unorthodox is that its defense is not predicated on forcing misses; opponents shoot only a little worse than league average against the Fever. However, Indiana is excellent on the defensive glass and especially causes problems by creating turnovers. The Fever leads the league in steals and has forced turnovers on 21.1 percent of opposing possessions; no other defense in the league is above 18.7 percent. Of Indiana's starting lineup, Catchings is a former Defensive Player of the Year and Bevilaqua and Douglas have also been part of the league's All-Defensive First Team. It's scary to think what the Fever might have accomplished had Griffith, also a former Defensive Player of the Year, been able to stay healthy.

Give Indiana credit for its ability to overcome injuries. While four of the five starters have stayed healthy all year long, the Fever has overcome what could have been debilitating injuries in the middle. After losing Griffith, Indiana signed former L.A. Sparks post Jessica Moore to add depth, as well as Jessica Davenport, late of the Liberty. When starting center Tammy Sutton-Brown was sidelined for six games with a stress reaction in her right toe, Moore stepped into the starting five and demonstrated heretofore hidden scoring ability. The UConn product averaged 10.2 points over the six games missed by Sutton-Brown, including a 19-point outburst in a matchup of first-place teams in Phoenix won by the Fever. Moore has remained in the starting lineup, with Sutton-Brown playing limited minutes off the bench the last two games.

The Storm returns home to kick off a four-game homestand, having finished up its East Coast trip on a high note by beating the Detroit Shock on Tuesday. The win was just the Storm's second of the season over an Eastern Conference foe, and the first on the road. There's no common thread between the losses, which started way back in June against Indiana, and no real reason for the discrepancy save the fact that the West has been slightly better as a conference this season. Expect things to even out as the Storm faces four East opponents during this homestand.

Saturday is Women of Inspiration Night at KeyArena, as the Storm honors Harriet Dumba, Carolyn Kelly, Danielle Lawrie and Agnes Oswaha at halftime. It will also be an important night in the midst of the 10th Anniversary season as the Storm welcomes back the first head coach in franchise history, Lin Dunn, who now fills the same role for the Fever. Bevilaqua will be recognized as part of the Storm All-Decade Team, and Griffith (who is serving as an extra assistant coach following her Achilles injury) also figures prominently in Storm history after spending last season in Seattle.

KEY MATCHUP
	While All-Stars Catchings and Lauren Jackson have a long history of entertaining matchups, they are unlikely to spend much time defending each other this time, having moved in opposite directions - Jackson playing center and Catchings small forward. That likely leaves it to Swin Cash to contend with Catchings, who is arguably the league's most versatile player. Catchings has taken a step back on offense this season, with Douglas emerging as Indiana's go-to player, but still averages 14.1 points and 3.2 assists. Catchings is good as ever on defense, leading the league with 2.9 steals a night, and will make Cash work for her offense.

The Storm saw its undefeated start come to an abrupt end June 9 in Indiana, falling 73-66 to the Fever. Having traveled cross-country the day before, the Storm got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. Cash scored nine of her 14 points in the opening period and Jackson got going in the second quarter, allowing the Storm to pull within two by the half. Jackson's three-point play gave the Storm its first lead at 48-46 late in the third quarter, but Indiana used a 10-1 run across the quarter break to open things up and cruised to the victory.

The Storm shot 49.0 percent from the field, but found its efforts undermined by turnovers (20) and Fever free throws (25 in 32 attempts) and offensive rebounds (15 of them). Jackson topped 20 points for the third straight game, with 21 on 9-of-15 shooting. Douglas countered with 20 points despite having to leave with a severe eye contusion, while Hoffman also scored 18 amongst four players in double-figures.

INJURIES

Storm - Forwards Katie Gearlds (torn left posterior cruciate ligament) is out.

Indiana - Center Tammy Sutton-Brown (stress reaction, right big toe) is day-to-day.