The Indiana Fever may have changed, but so has Natasha Howard. But only for the better. “It feels good to be back,” Howard had said as she walked into the gym after being signed as a free agent by the Fever this season, and reconnected with a familiar coach and the very executive who once believed in her enough to draft her in 2014. However, like all things come to an end, the player joined the Minnesota Lynx for a two-year stint starting in 2016, and even picked up a championship in her second year on the roster. The irony? She managed to crush that same league-leading team today—even pulling in Napheesa Collier as collateral damage.

While there are three WNBA rings in Howard’s bag already, she was clearly not done. As already predicted by Fever executive Kelly Krauskopf in May this year, “You would think she’d be like, ‘I’m good’. Nope. She wants to do it at the place she got drafted.” And if her dominant performance of 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals (while earning an MVP) vs her former team is any indication, she’s well on her way. But how exactly did Howard pull it off? Especially without the Fever’s offensive engine, Caitlin Clark out with a groin strain?

Luckily for us, the veteran player-coach duo has no interest in keeping their game plan a secret. They revealed exactly how the team managed to limit Napheesa Collier’s input and take it home 74-59. In the post-game presser, the interviewer jumped right into it. He asked, “Coach, not many teams have been able to slow Napheesa Collier down to the extent you guys did. I mean, 5 turnovers, she didn’t shoot over 50%. What did you guys figure out schematically to slow her down?” 

That’s a spot-on observation. Phee has been carrying a whole franchise on her back. It shows because she is averaging 24.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Coach White laid out the whole blueprint with no hesitation whatsoever. “I think first and foremost, Tasha was a defensive player near in our league. She’s got length, she’s got athleticism, she’s fast-twitch. So her ability to recover, I think, and contest and contain.” That’s the most appropriate description of the 6″1′ veteran forward. White continued to add, “She (Natasha Howard) stayed incredibly disciplined and made Fee take tough shots. I felt like our off-ball defense, with the exception of the first quarter, was really good. We showed multiple bodies.”

Well, that’s exactly why Natasha Howard walked out of the Commissioner’s Cup Final as the UNANIMOUS MVP and stat leader of the Game. One thing is clear, though. It was surely a move they had strategized. After all, Phee has been leading the league in PPG, too, and the Fever head coach knew very well what she was walking into. During a media conversation before the game, White acknowledged the Lynx and said, “They have been the most consistent team in the league. They’ve been playing great basketball, they’ve got a lot of continuity with that group. They make it look easy at time with the way that they play on the offensive end and how solid they are on the defensive side of the floor.”

So, when Caitlin Clark was sidelined for the Commissioner’s Cup Final, Howard knew she couldn’t blink. Both Collier and Alanna Smith were capped at 12 points each, and Bridget Carleton was left searching for her shot the entire 27 minutes she was on the floor. Even when Indiana looked shaky in the first quarter, Howard kept the pace, the pressure, and the energy high.“We didn’t commit one way or another because she’s a really good facilitator. We recovered back to shooters. So we were able to keep them off balance by being disruptive,” White added.

And it was evident how Howard fully stepped into that role of a leader in this game—something she’d embraced only hesitantly till now—making sure the team came together as a group. Sophie Cunningham showed up and showed out with 13 points, followed by Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald all scoring 12 for the team. “And so it really was, Tash, outstanding one-on-one defense and then a collective team effort, and to finish plays, and to defensive rebound,” White concluded. 

Natasha Howard comes clean on last night’s strategy vs. Collier

Natasha Howard knew she had to step up for the franchise that drafted her fifth overall in 2014 and which she still describes as “the place where all my dreams came true.” After all, when the chance to return emerged, both sides understood this was a calling. Fever GM Amber Cox had explained their immediate priorities: “I think it was Day 1 when I got this job, Kelly and I were on the phone, and we had two things on our to-do list: re-sign Kelsey Mitchell and bring back Natasha Howard.” 

With veteran DeWanna Bonner departed and phenom Caitlin Clark injured, it left Natasha Howard to shoulder the entire leadership burden and game plan. And it’s safe to say that she rose to the challenge. Howard didn’t mince words about her defensive assignment postgame: “I knew I had a handful with (Napheesa) Collier. My thing was limit her to hard shots. That’s what I did tonight, made it uncomfortable for her, but at the end of the day, she was gonna still get her buckets.” Her performance backed up every word.

Howard’s defensive impact dominated the game. In the second quarter alone (at 1:52 and 4:01), we saw Collier miss three important shots and commit two turnovers. It included one where Howard’s quick hands made a cross-court pass from midair. When Minnesota tried rallying in the fourth quarter, Natasha Howard stole the ball from Collier again and grabbed another defensive rebound after another missed attempt. Though Collier finished with 12 points, each basket came with maximum effort, thanks to Natasha Howard.