Mitchell makes his long-awaited playoff debut and remains confident

Mitchell makes his long-awaited playoff debut and remains confident

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

In four meetings with the Connecticut Sun during the WNBA regular season, the Indiana Fever emerged victorious in just one. Now they have a three-game streak with the same opponent – three chances to win twice and extend their season. After Sunday's 93-69 loss to Connecticut, Indiana is in danger of elimination in their first WNBA postseason appearance since 2016.

Kelsey Mitchell waited seven years for a chance to perform on the WNBA's biggest stage. After being drafted in 2018, Mitchell didn't have the opportunity to experience playoff basketball during her entire tenure with the Fever.

On Sunday, she finished her playoff debut with 21 points – making her the Fever's top scorer – and added three rebounds and five assists to her stats.

“Every time I step on the floor, I do my best,” Mitchell said after Sunday's loss. “…Our team tries to do the best they can. The vision and the goal is to always do my best…So I'm excited to work out the details, watch the film as a group and I'm excited for Wednesday.”

Indiana struggled to hit shots in Game 1 of the first round, sinking just 21 percent of its 3-pointers. The Fever are shooting 35 percent from beyond the three-point line this season, good for third-best in the WNBA, but the shots weren't coming for Indiana on Sunday afternoon. After the first half, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Mitchell combined to hit 37 percent of their shots. The All-Star guard duo of Clark and Mitchell made just one of their 12 3-pointers, and the Fever trailed by eight points.

Mitchell returned to the court before the end of the half with Boston and Clark to take a few more shots before the second period began. In a darkly lit arena where dizzying spotlights illuminated small areas of a halftime show at center court, the Fever's core trio remained engaged and confident.

The same three players combined for a hit rate of 45.8 percent in the second half.

Despite Indiana's loss in game one, the Fever are holding onto their regular-season success as proof that they can compete at the highest level. They've beaten Connecticut once before – less than a month ago – and they're capable of beating them again.

“It starts with responsibility first,” Mitchell said. “… Confidence doesn't go away. I don't think you just give up because it didn't go the way we wanted it to. I think this game isn't perfect, it has imperfections, and I think we dropped the ball. We just didn't play well.”

“In the future you keep your confidence, you know what it is, but you take responsibility as a player and as a team and look forward to Wednesday.”

Mitchell's confidence, coupled with her consistency and effort, is a major factor in Indiana making the playoffs after such a long losing streak. A veteran leader and key part of the franchise, Mitchell will lead the Fever as they look to turn the tide of a three-game series on Wednesday. After trailing 1-0 against Connecticut, Indiana needs a win as they look to return to Mohegan Sun Arena to face the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night.

“A lot of people want instant gratification in life,” Clark said. “And as a competitive athlete, you want that too. I think as a competitive athlete, you have to give yourself a lot of leniency… Everything isn't going to be perfect right away and everything still isn't perfect… You have to work for it every day.”