It all starts with personnel. Step 1 for White was getting her team more familiar with the Dream and the challenges they’ll present. She requires high attention to detail and attention to personnel, especially when it comes to the changes the Dream have made since the teams last met.
Atlanta went 30-14 this season and finished with the WNBA’s second-best offense and defense. It was better than everyone but the Minnesota Lynx on both ends of the floor, and first-year head coach Karl Smesko gave his team an identity built on size, 3-point shooting and rebounding.
“Tough players are going to have to make tough plays. It’s going to come down to personnel and knowing who you’re guarding,” Fever star Kelsey Mitchell said of the Dream’s identity and difficulties of containing them.
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A big challenge in projecting this series, and for the teams themselves, is that the regular season doesn’t provide much relevant tape. All four matchups between the two squads came between the start of the season and July 11. They haven’t played each other in two months. Star Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who is out for the season, was available for three of the games. None of Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy, Aerial Powers or Bree Hall were on Indiana’s roster for the four regular-season matchups.
Atlanta’s only roster change since meeting Indiana in the regular season is the addition of reserve forward Sika Koné. But the Dream have changed in other ways. Naz Hillmon now starts while Brittney Griner comes off the bench, and that has given the Dream more balance. The Fever have changed their starting five, too, but more out of injury necessity than tactical tweaking.
All of those things make the fact that these teams split their regular-season matchups unimportant. They are two new squads. And while that secrecy can be an advantage, it also means both teams are less familiar with their opponent than they would be for a typical playoff series.
Because of that, and because the Fever didn’t know their opponent until late Thursday night, they started their week of playoff prep by focusing on themselves. With an ever-changing group, practice time has been hard to come by.
Once Friday came, Indiana began to focus on the Dream. White is struck by the size that Atlanta will bring, among many challenges the Fever will face.
“First and foremost, their size,” White said when asked about the difficulties she sees from Atlanta. “Their size at most all positions has been a challenge for us. … Secondly, just the way they space the floor. They do a really good job of still doing what [Smesko’s] teams have always done and shooting the three, but also doing it in a different way and utilizing their post touches and their dominant interior players to score or to find open shooters.”
Smesko has built a formidable group. The Dream rank in the top three in 3-pointers made and attempted. They’re the WNBA’s top rebounding team and rate highly in assists and turnovers (fewest). They are efficient in everything they do. It’s more than just shot accuracy from analytics-friendly areas; it’s also their focus on possession and the details.
Atlanta doesn’t grab many steals and gives up a ton of twos — it’s not perfect. But it is formidable.
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To battle Atlanta’s strengths and size, the Fever will need to avoid mistakes. “We’re going to have to combat [Atlanta’s strengths] with our discipline, No. 1, and with our reads on the offensive end of the floor,” White explained.
Specifically, White said, discipline will show up in many ways. Her team’s activity level, ability to deny reversals and easy passes, and ball pressure will all be key. The Fever don’t want to get caught deep against bigs and refuse to give up easy threes.
That’s a lot to focus on, but it’s all required for the Fever as the underdogs. They won six fewer games than the Dream this season for several reasons. But leaving those factors behind and focusing on themselves is the Fever’s only chance of winning.
The keys for Indiana lie in the possession battle, unlocking center/forward Aliyah Boston, and playing connected defense. At their best, they’ve used Boston as a fulcrum to get their guards better shots. And their defense and rebounding hum in wins. Those need to be constants against Atlanta.
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It will be a tough challenge. But the Fever’s entire season has been about overcoming tough challenges.
“We’ve had like six different teams, and so they have a lot to obviously scout as Atlanta,” Mitchell said. “For us, it’s about keeping the main thing the main thing. And I think our energy, our effort and focusing on getting the reps for who we’re gonna play is good for us.”
