From championship contenders to underdogs, the road to the playoffs has been quite hard for the Indiana Fever. Even with five players already out, the hurdles kept piling up. Damiris Dantas went down when her presence was needed the most. Yet, on the brink of elimination, GM Amber Cox had a plea for every Fever faithful. “A long time coming, Fever Faithful – let’s make sure Gainbridge Fieldhouse is rockin’!” she penned on X while retweeting the Game 2 announcement.

The Indiana Fever then shared a clip on their official X account where Caitlin Clark was asked what message she had for Indianapolis heading into Game 2. Matching the call their GM had already made, Clark delivered an energetic rallying cry to fans: “First home game since 2016..I need to see every single person in Indianapolis, whether you’re inside the arena, could be outside of the arena, I don’t care. Show up. Get loud for my teammates. We need to get a dub and then we’re taking back to Atlanta. LET’S GOOOOOO!”

Indy’s plea was to urge the fan base to come and support at the crucial moment. And they did. A crowd of 16,682 fans pouring their hearts out at Gainbridge Fieldhouse became an X factor in the third-seeded Atlanta Dream’s loss. As the cheers grew louder, the Dream got frustrated, and the shots continued to miss.

Naturally, reporters asked about how the crowd impacted their game in the third quarter. “They packed the house,” HC Karl Smesko admitted. “They were really loud. That gives them home-court advantage, but, I mean, that’s going to be wherever we go. It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be packed. It’s going to be loud. We got to play through anything that happens in the game, and we’ve been great on the road all season. Today was kind of just an off day.”

That energy? Older or newer players, all of them felt it.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Dream were getting closer to Indy. As Naz Hillmon took a layup, it put Atlanta within three points. Then, the Fever streaked down the court, and Kelsey Mitchell took a three-point shot. It was a miss, and the ball bounced off the rim. But right then, Powers grabbed it and went back for a layup, and Hillmon got her fourth foul while defending.

Perfect moment for Powers. She sat on the ground and yelled in celebration. Indy’s crowd roared right alongside her. But she didn’t stop there — she jumped up, slapped one of her teammates’ hands, and started chest-bumping in celebration. She even went to Stephanie White and chest-bumped her so hard that her glasses fell off.

“She does that every time… And every time, I remember I’m not as young as I used to be,” White shared in the post-game press conference after the 77–60 win. But while Powers played her part, Indy’s audience played theirs. As Boston put it, “The energy, everyone felt it. The crowd was going crazy, and we just used that momentum into the fourth.”

So yes, even the players admitted it — that’s how Indy managed to take advantage of the chance they had. It was something they didn’t get last year. When they finally ended their eight-year playoff drought, they didn’t benefit from having a home game.

Instead, both of their matchups against the Connecticut Sun were on the road, since the Sun held the higher seed. Indy was swept out without ever playing in front of their own fans. But this year, things look different. With the league’s new 1-1-1 playoff format, after hosting Game 2 in Indianapolis, the Fever head back to Atlanta for a decisive Game 3 on the Dream’s home floor.

Return to the Dream court — a nightmare for Indy. Yes or no?

When Indy entered the Dream’s home court for Game 1, it wasn’t a fruitful experience. Already suffering from multiple injuries and roster challenges, Indy got one of their frontcourt players sidelined by concussion protocol. The effect of Damiris Dantas’ absence was immediate. After the third quarter, the Fever struggled to build momentum while the Dream’s size added to the difficulty.

In the end, Indy suffered an 80–68 loss in Game 1 of the first round of the playoff series against Atlanta. But what added even more frustration were the vacant seats across the arena, as only 3,800 fans showed up at Gateway Center. So while Indy managed to create an impact in Game 2 with a home crowd, the upcoming challenge is to bring that momentum to Atlanta. “I think it will be a really good challenge for us,” Mitchell said.

“Obviously we want to win the game, and they want to win the game, so I think somebody has to lose it and somebody has to win. But I think that we take tonight for what it is… it’s a big opportunity tonight, but you gotta let it be the moment and let it kind of fuel you for Thursday. But gotta move on.” 

Gotta move on, yes, despite ESPN’s odds favoring Atlanta in Game 3. Who’s your pick?