Tonight in Indy, the city must feel like one big block party. The Slippery Noodle is probably shoulder to shoulder, fans hollering about the Fever like they’ve already won the Finals. Over at HI-FI, the band might barely need to play, with the crowd likely singing over the speakers. And chances are, Hoosier Heritage cocktails are being raised like the city’s new trophy.

It doesn’t even matter where you end up; it’s probably the same scene everywhere: fans replaying that clincher over the Mystics. For the second year straight, Indy’s got playoff basketball, and the whole city knows exactly what that means. Toasts are being raised, and it’s all for one person – and it’s not Caitlin Clark this time. As Callie Fin put it, “It was a seven-year playoff drought before last season. And Caitlin Clark was obviously, you know, the driving factor for that turnaround.”

She added, “So now they have proven to themselves that, no matter who’s on the court – because if you count Caitlin, that’s five season-ending injuries for this team. I mean, that is absurd. And they’ve snagged consecutive playoff berths for the first time since, like, 2016. So this is a new era that the Fever are rolling into.” And roll they did, right on the back of Kelsey Mitchell. She’s been Indy’s heartbeat all season.

Sure, Aari McDonald had her late-July fireworks: that 27-point eruption against Phoenix on July 30. Aliyah Boston’s been steady as ever, giving them 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals a night. Natasha Howard, the veteran, has held firm when others, like DeWanna Bonner, couldn’t. But Mitchell… She’s the spark that never lets this team dim. As Andrew Haubner said on No Cap Space WBB, “I think Kelsey Mitchell made a first-team All-WNBA case in the last three, four weeks… this team simply is not here without her.”

He added, “Without what she does on the defensive side of the ball, without the games where they needed her to shoot.” And he’s right. Just rewind to that career-high 38-point masterpiece in Connecticut, when she flat-out stole the game from the Sun. Thirty-four of those points came after halftime. She went 11-for-22, drilled 5 threes, and iced 11 of 12 free throws, scoring Indiana’s first 10 in OT. That night, she cemented herself as the Fever’s soul, and Indy’s not about to let those efforts slip by unnoticed.

Indiana Fever Put MVP Crown in Kelsey Mitchell’s Hands

Kelsey Mitchell took the torch when circumstances demanded it. Quadriceps and groin injuries limited Caitlin Clark’s season to just 13 games, and she wasn’t the only absence. Guards Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald also missed extended time, leaving Stephanie White with a paper-thin roster down the stretch. Worse still, Clark has already been declared out for the rest of the year, even if Indiana goes on a deep run.

In the middle of that void, Mitchell became the anchor and the sail. Averaging 20.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and one steal per game, she turned what should have been a collapse into survival. Their 22-20 record has them sitting seventh, one foot in the postseason, a place that didn’t look remotely possible when the injuries piled up. Beyond the numbers, it’s her leadership, her ability to guide the Fever through chaos, that has made her MVP case impossible to ignore.

The franchise sees it too. This week, they officially launched her candidacy with a hype video on X, captioned simply: “Kelsey Mitchell is a HOOPER. Her MVP and All-WNBA case keeps getting louder.” A fitting tagline, because every big performance has only raised the volume.

Mitchell’s 38-point takeover in Connecticut will go down as the season’s loudest statement, but in truth, it’s been the consistency of her fire that’s mattered most. When the lights flickered around Indiana, she was the one who refused to let them go out. And now, Indy’s block party feels less like a fleeting celebration and more like the opening act of Kelsey Mitchell’s coronation!