The Indiana Fever were all over the place on Sunday in the Game 1 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. After an 86-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in the season-finale game, the Aces dominated the Fever in thier playoff series opener. In fact, TV host and former college basketball player Rachel DeMita said the game felt even more lopsided than the 102-85 loss suggested. 

While a lot of blame falls on Indiana’s subpar defense, DeMita highlighted a bigger problem, putting head coach Stephanie White’s decision-making at the center of her criticism.

“It reminds me of last season, when I felt like so many times the Indiana Fever were just kind of adapting to what the other team did,” DeMita said on the Courtside Club podcast.

“Like, if the other team had four guards and one big on the floor, then all of a sudden Coach Stephanie White would put in four guards and one big instead of realizing that they might have a mismatch if they still went with their four-five lineup… Instead of doing that, they change everything up.”

Lineup has been an issue for White all season long. The Fever don’t have a very strong frontcourt, which has made them significantly vulnerable inside the paint. They also don’t have an aggressive power forward who could add to paint production aside from Aliyah Boston. 

DeMita was also unhappy with White experimenting with a new lineup against the Aces. She was also critical of the Fever head coach’s decision to bring Mercedes Russell off the bench, ahead of Sophie Cunningham, Raven Johnson or Monique Billings. 

“Fever don’t have an identity. They don’t have a play style that you’re like, that’s the Fever’s play style,” DeMita added. 

On Sunday, the Fever were simply out of moves. Their top two stars, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, struggled to shoot. They combined for 10-of-33 from the field. With their offense centered around two players, the Fever were simply out of the contest despite double-digit scoring from Johnson, Cunningham, and Aliyah Boston.

This was a different performance from the Fever’s last-season playoff outing against the Aces. Despite the Aces looking like the strongest team in the league, the Fever took them to the series decider, Game 5, before losing in overtime. Interestingly, they didn’t even have Caitlin Clark last year. 

According to DeMita, the Fever had unity last season that they seem to be lacking this season.

“And last year, I don’t think they even had it either, but they had heart, and they had grit…the want…the mentality of it’s us against the world,” she said. “They had the togetherness, and they had the chemistry. They don’t have that this year.”

The Fever played excellent defense, led by Aliyah Boston. The Fever center played a highly physical game against A’ja Wilson. Despite half of their roster missing action, in comparison, the 2025 Fever looked better against the Aces, who would become the eventual champions. 

The Indiana Fever still have a lifeline in the series. They will face the Aces in Game 2 in Indianapolis. If they are able to capitalize on their home-court advantage, it will be a big win for the Fever. A’ja Wilson and the Aces looked too comfortable in Game 1. If the Fever can pull off a win, the pressure will shift.  

But it is the Fever head coach who is under the most pressure to advance to the semifinal. The Fever have been the best offensive team in the WNBA this season with a 96.0 rating. Unfortunately, they have struggled to defend throughout the season with the worst defensive rating of all the playoff contenders with 109.0.

Stephanie White has already received criticism throughout the season. In fact, veteran journalists like Linda Cohn have suggested that Caitlin Clark may have more respect for the Lynx head coach than Stephanie White. If the Fever lose this early in the season, White could face repercussions.