Let’s track back a little…do you remember how Indiana closed out the preseason? It will be remembered less for their play and more for the broader impact. Caitlin Clark’s Iowa homecoming, the preseason sweep, Stephanie White’s lineup experiments on a roster that had just five players from last season’s roster. And when asked what would make this season a success, both the star player and head coach echoed the same words….“A Championship!”

Only if they knew that the journey would be anything but straightforward. The Fever have weathered ups and downs, playoff scares, injuries, roster adjustments, and moments of brilliance that kept their playoff hopes alive. What hasn’t changed, though, is that lofty goal they set back in May.

And against the league-best Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, playoff-bound Indiana showed they weren’t backing down from the challenge. The Fever closed their regular-season slate with an 83-72 win, evening the four-game series with Minnesota. For a team going through adversity, that victory felt like validation. So you’d think White would be beaming with joy after such a statement win.

Instead…..her tone was different.

“Yeah, I mean obviously, you know, pleased with being able to get another win. Pleased with the way that the last three games we’ve been able to find ways. Um…not pleased with the fourth quarter,” she admitted. That frustration was rooted in the way Indiana nearly let their control slip. The Fever led by as many as 24 points in the fourth, only for the Lynx to cut into the margin by outscoring them 17-4 down the stretch. White wasn’t about to let that slide.

“So the message is….we’re not happy to just be in the playoffs. Like we want to compete in the playoffs. We want to be a team that is competing for championships,” she laid out her demand firmly. “And in order to compete for championships, you don’t play the score. You don’t play the opponent, you play the standard. And you know, we did not play the standard the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. And we’ve got to be better.” 

She later added that yes, coaches are “never happy,” but it’s also a part of the mentality fever has as a team. And before anyone jumps in saying Indiana might not have a real shot as a lower seed, Sophie Cunningham, who might be out for the season and won’t be suiting up, said it straight up on her “Show Me Something” podcast. “Playoff season is just like a whole different season. I know you always hear athletes say that but like it truly is. So like you could have the best record in the regular season and like literally lose in the first round,” she said. 

The Fever’s seed will come down to what happens with Golden State. If they lose out, Indiana will lock in as the sixth seed. Otherwise, the Fever slide into seventh, with Golden State holding the tiebreaker. Either way, Indiana is staring down a matchup with Atlanta, Vegas, or Phoenix. Tough outs, no matter how you slice it. But if you ask Cunningham, she sees Atlanta as the best possible matchup. Why? Because as she puts it, “experience wins playoffs,” and Atlanta is the one squad where Indiana can come closer to matching postseason reps.

Natasha Howard, Cunningham herself, Sydney Colson, and DeWanna Bonner were meant to bring that backbone of playoff experience to Indy. However now, all the Fever really have left in that department is Tash. Still, Cunningham laid out the roadmap: focus on details. And we know that hs already won Indiana plenty of games this season.

Now, of course, Atlanta is no easy draw. On the perimeter, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard can light it up, while inside the paint Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner present a whole different set of problems under the basket.  They’re balanced, dangerous, and playoff-ready. But maybe, as Cunningham hinted, just a little less intimidating than the other top teams waiting on the board. The Fever believe they belong. They’ve seen growth, they’ve leaned on grit, and they’ve got momentum on their side. 

And somehow we believe in them too, because we’ve seen a 6th seed pull off that magic before. 

Could Stephanie White’s 2025 Indiana be the new Chicago 2021?

It was 2021, when the Chicago Sky stumbled into the playoffs at 16-16, raising doubts about whether they could even survive the first single-elimination game. But before anyone could blink, they were back in the WNBA Finals, having toppled the No. 1 powerhouse Connecticut Sun in four games. And the truth was, that Sky squad was never really a “sixth seed” in spirit. This was a team that knew exactly what they were chasing. It didn’t matter what others thought of their chances, The Sky believed they were going to win it all. 

And sure enough, they completed their miracle run with an 80-74 win over the Phoenix Mercury, storming back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to clinch their first WNBA championship. Along the way, they set a postseason record with eight wins, turning doubts into history.

“Faith is a big key for me,” Sky coach and GM James Wade said then. “You have to believe it and I can’t explain it. It’s just in me and you give it to them. You sound crazy enough that they believe it, and when I got here in 2018, I remember saying we were going to win a championship. We did it because we believed and we probably did something no one has ever done.”

That belief carried Chicago from the middle of the pack to the very top, with the “Candace Parker effect” fueling the fire through every round. Now, Indiana is hoping to bottle some of that same magic.  The only difference? The Fever don’t have the star effect. They’ve leaned on the veterans who got them this far, Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy, while trusting the young core led by Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. But of course, Caitlin won’t be returning due to her injuries, a reality that makes their climb even steeper.

Still, the Fever aren’t shying away. The Sky showed us that a sixth seed can defy every odds, rewrite every narrative, and shock the league. For Indiana, the path might look uphill, but the mantra remains the same: never stop believing in miracles.