How do the Indiana Fever keep pulling this off? Nobody had them here – not without five key players. Just sneaking into the playoffs felt like a storybook twist in itself. Then they dropped Game 1, looked doomed, and somehow bounced back in Game 2. But a semifinal ticket? In Game 3? On the Dream’s home floor? This wasn’t in the brochure. Oddsmakers had the Dream pegged as 7.5-point favorites, hardly shocking, given Atlanta’s 16-6 home record in 2025. And yet, Stephanie White’s squad just refused to read the odds. They kept grinding, kept believing, and now they’re only three wins away from the Finals. And watching from the sidelines, Caitlin Clark couldn’t help but feel proud.

The Fever closed out Game 3 in the most dramatic way possible, ripping off a 7-0 run in the final two minutes to shock the Dream, 87-85. Down five after a Rhyne Howard three, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull chipped away before Odyssey Sims found Aliyah Boston for the go-ahead bucket with 7.4 seconds left. Hull then stole the inbound, Sims iced a free throw, and Atlanta’s last-second three rimmed out, sending Indiana to the semifinals.

Chest-bumps, high-fives, even a few dances – it all broke loose the moment the buzzer sounded. While the boos from Dream fans filled the arena, Caitlin Clark simply held up a “W,” a nod to a team that had trudged through setbacks all year to finally get its payoff. For Indiana, it was the first playoff series win since 2015, and Clark made sure the celebration carried online too. She jumped on X, almost immediately. And when it came to giving credit, she didn’t hesitate, writing in all caps, “STEPHANIE WHITE !!!!!!!!!!!”

Stephanie White joined the Fever after two standout seasons with the Connecticut Sun, where she went 55-25, built one of the league’s best defenses, and even won Coach of the Year in 2023. This season, however, truly showcased her true coaching credentials. Facing an unprecedented injury crisis, White kept the Fever competitive and led them through a rollercoaster year, even as critics questioned the team’s performance at times.

We often forget that White had already guided the Fever to a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title. But if anyone still had doubts about her credentials, Kelsey Mitchell left no room for question after the Game 3 victory over the Dream. “I’ve never had a coach that poured into me, respectfully like Steph has,” Mitchell said. ‘For the first time in my career, I feel like I have someone that really values what I bring to the table as a player and as a person.”

“I’ve had five coaches in eight years. I’ve been on the worst record teams here with the Indiana Fever, so I know where my career started at. I know what I’ve kind of had to go through to kind of be in this position. I’ve never had a coach that poured into me, respectfully, like Steph has… For the first time in my career, I really feel like I have someone that values what I bring to the table as a player and a person. Not just a player but as a person, so I’m going to always love Steph because she gave me an opportunity to be who I am and it’s hard to do that and be that as a professional athlete and when you find coaches that believe in you, I’ll never take it for granted,” Mitchell added.

In the absence of Caitlin Clark, the Fever got to see Kelsey Mitchell, their top scorer in six of the last eight seasons, in full flow. The eight-year veteran put together a career year during the regular season, averaging 20.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, shining as the brightest spot in an otherwise challenging year for Indiana. Tonight, she led the team again, finishing with 24 points, and it’s hard to argue against Coach White’s role in her rise to one of the league’s best players.

That said, this win was just as special for Clark, and the celebrations didn’t stop at tweets!

Caitlin Clark brought along the lucky charm?

“FEVVVVVVV SHOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!” Clark tweeted, adding six heart emojis to show just how hyped she was about the win. Even though her season ended prematurely, she’s become the ultimate hype woman for the team–and that energy carried right into the Gateway Center as well.

After the game, the team also shared a playful video showing them celebrating with one of Clark’s sneakers, taken straight from her foot. Odd as it might seem, the Fever may have stumbled upon an unusual postseason talisman: Clark’s shoes. Heading into the second matchup in Indiana, Clark laced up a pair of all-black Nike Air Force 1s, instantly catching the attention of her teammates. “Black Forces? Really?“Aliyah Boston had joked. The result, though?

The team managed to secure their lone home victory in the series, setting up a decisive clash in Atlanta. Clark, perhaps convinced of the sneakers’ “magic,” donned them again for the final game. So, yes, teamwork at its best.