MINNEAPOLIS — In an adidas tank top in the team’s locker room after the game, Briann January sported a battle wound. On her left cheek was an obvious nail scratch about the size of one’s pinkie.
The Target Center.
She was the one with the mark yet she was the one called for a foul late in a competitive matchup. That upset her and the Indiana Fever’s point guard fouled out of the game with 72 seconds remaining and just a five-point lead. (She was then T’d up on her way to the bench and swears she didn’t say anything.)
Just as Indiana has done all season, they were resilient and received contributes from all over. Shavonte Zellous sped past Anna Cruz for a layup and to make it a two-possession game, and then Tamika Catchings sealed a victory with a steal and three foul shots.
Six points was the difference as the Fever prevailed in Game 1 over the Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-five series, 75-69, just as it was in 2012 (76-70). To add another layer, two of the three officials were back to officiate this Game 1: Sue Blauch (crew chief) and Kurt Walker.
Catchings said she and the four others who were part of that 2012 team don’t try to compare the seasons and they’ve tried to put that year out of their minds. And they should, for the most part. That doesn’t mean they’re not leaning on that tested experience.
“Throughout the course of the season, our team has continued to grow,” January said. “We have a great core that has been here since 2012 and I think everybody else on the team has followed our lead.”
Briann January warms up prior to Game 1.
January, a member of the WNBA’s All-Defensive First Team, paced the Fever with a season-high 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds. It wasn’t just the numbers that stood out, but her tenacity and peskiness on the defensive end. You wouldn’t want to be defended by January, who holds a black belt in karate. She’s intense, in your face, and did not allow any Lynx player to move comfortably.
She’s a warrior.
“I challenged Bri to lead this team,” Catchings said postgame. “… When she plays the way that she knows how to play defensively, she gets underneath people’s skin so bad (smile).
“This is the best that I’ve seen her play and being able to finish out games, I think ever. The confidence that she played with tonight we need her to play with the rest of the series.”
Offensively, January didn’t let a rough start offensively get to her. After missing her first five field goals, January, who played over 33 minutes, went 6-of-9 from the floor over the final three and a half quarters. In the two-man game, she would often gain the advantage after a screen, use a quick step to gain separation and then knock down a pull-up jumper from the elbow.
Defensively, she guarded several Lynx players. Lindsay Whalen scored just four points and Seimone Augustus was limited to nine.
“She’s the key to that team,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said of January. “I know everybody’s talking about Catchings, and that’s true. But when you’ve got a point guard that’s getting things done at that level … that says a lot about her.”
Added Fever coach Stephanie White: “She’s just playing with a different poise and she’s playing at a difference pace. She’s reading her options and understanding and knowing when to take her shots, when to attack the rim, and when to find her teammates.”
The Fever managed just 10 points and four field goals (on 19 attempts) yet they had not lost any ground. The Lynx, too, had 10 points. Opportunity missed for the home team.
After the Lynx went ahead 24-19 in the second stanza, January by herself — after coach White called a timeout — scored seven straight points, preventing an early double-digit deficit.
Tamika Catchings locked in to her third WNBA Finals.
The Fever closed the half together: A Catchings steal followed by two other Fever players possessing the ball, leading to a wide-open layup by Erlana Larkins as the horn expired. A 16-5 run to close the half gave Indiana a 35-29 advantage.
Catchings, who’s playing in her third WNBA Finals, was quiet for most of the game. She was off target on her first two shots and made just 2-of-8 tries in the game. But it was Catchings who helped ensure the Lynx didn’t dominate the boards (34-32) or capitalize with second-chance points (12).
“Our main focus was to stop them from getting the boards and allow us to get transition points,” Shavonte Zellous said.
The Lynx’s roster features five Olympians but on this night, it didn’t matter. Maya Moore, last year’s WNBA MVP, got hers, 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Sylvia Fowles contributed 21 points and 11 assists. They accounted for nearly 70 percent of Minnesota’s offensive output, a statistic the Fever, who had five played in double figures, will happily take.
“All season long, our greatest strength has been our depth, it’s been our perseverance, it’s been about our ability to handle adversity,” White added. “It’s been about our ability to take care of our teammates and tonight was no exception to that.”
The Fever led throughout most of the game but never by more than eight points. The Lynx led once in the second half, 62-61, but then the Fever scored the next five points and never trailed again.
Beyond the numbers, the Fever played with more heart and determination and it truly showed. They wanted this and so badly wanted to return to Indy later this week with at least one victory. The Fever have the experience and toughness, and January set the tone out front.
Fever steal Game 1, again.
“We shot 42 percent, they shot 36 percent. We shot 23 free throws, they shot 16. How do you lose that game,” Reeve asked rhetorically. “We just didn’t do little things at key times, and they did.”
“This is Indiana. This is what they do.”
With the win, the Fever tied the Los Angeles Sparks for the most all-time postseason victories (34) in league history. That’s representative of franchise’s culture and stability, and having Tamika Catchings.
The Lynx entered the game 19-2 all-time at home in postseason play, one of those losses being Game 1 against the Fever in 2012. Now that impressive record drops to 19-3.
In a postseason that has seemingly replicated what they did in their 2012 Championship season, the Fever will try to do what they failed to do then: Win Game 2, set for Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
Notes:
- The Fever were perfect from the foul line, 16-for-16, whereas the Lynx missed eight of their 23 tries.
- Offseason acquisition Shenise Johnson (10 points, five rebounds) has reached double figures in six of seven postseason games.
- Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Rick Fuson, Vice Chairman Jim Morris, plus Fever execs Kelly Krauskopf and Julie Graue were on hand for Game 1.
- 11,023 was the announced crowd on hand, including NBA veteran Kevin Garnett courtside, even with the Minnesota Twins hosting the Kansas City Royals across the street.
- Fans in attendance received a white rally towel.