MINNEAPOLIS — The Fever by no means had a perfect game Monday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx, but they did enough to come out on top and steal, as some like to say, a game on the road.
Many of the key numbers favored the Lynx, like shooting percent (36 to 42), points in the paint (34 to 24), and rebounds (34 to 32), but the Fever won all of the hustle points. They earned the win by maintaining their poise, a difficult thing to do in the first game of a series for the ultimate prize.
Late in the game, clinging to a two-possession lead, they got stops, forced turnovers, and made the smart plays — like Catchings backing the ball out instead of trying a contested layup with under 10 seconds remaining.
See Also: Fever Podcast with January, Catchings, White, and Kloppenburg
As the Fever put five players in double figures, the Lynx had just two: Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles.
“I think our ball pressure, our passing lane denials were physical in the post,” said Fever assistant Gary Kloppenburg, who specializes on the defensive end. “That takes teams out of what they want to do and that was really what we wanted to do with this team. Take them out of [some things] or make things very difficult for them and make them hit tough shots. We had some breakdowns but for the most part, I thought we did a pretty good job and we rebounded.”
One item that cannot be overlooked is the rebounding battle. The Fever, who were eighth in the league in rebounds per game during the regular season, more than held their own. And notably, they limited Minnesota’s Rebekkah Brunson, a major emphasis entering the series.
Brunson has hurt the Fever in the past but they didn’t let her in Game 1. She is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game but she failed to fight for one. And she averaged more than eight rebounds per game during the regular season. In Game 1, just pulled in just three in more than 28 minutes.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said it wasn’t anything the Fever did and that it was more about Brunson not going after it. Reeve wants her to play with a desire similar to Catchings, who minimized Brunson’s presence.
The Fever aren’t feeling any pressure; they haven’t had a spotlight on them all year. Going into Game 2 Tuesday night (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at the Target Center, they want to maintain their backs-against-the-wall mentality. Ignore the fact that they have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and go win tonight’s battle.
“We know we have to take our level up another step,” said Briann January. “Minnesota is not going to give us a game; we have to come in here and take it. It’s going to be tough, but I think our team is really focused, everybody’s locked in, everybody’s engaged, and we’re staying together. I really think that’s helped us in the playoffs to be successful.”
Coach White De-Emphasizing Statistics
Indiana’s Stephanie White is shying away from the numbers in her first season as a head coach. Going into the season, what she called a “lay-the-foundation year,” she chose not to get caught up in overanalyzing a stat sheet and how the team is doing from a statistical standpoint.
The Fever were perfect at the foul line in Game 1, going 16-for-16 and outscoring the Lynx (15-of-23) by one point.
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t think it is important or that she’s not paying attention. By taking care of the little things, by out-hustling the opponent and working together, the statistics will come.
“At the end of the day, when you’re in these types of situations, it comes down to the details,” she said. “It comes down to plays like Tamika Catchings made right before halftime, the hustle plays.”
Watch as coach White explains below:
Kloppenburg Enjoying Every Moment
Gary Kloppenburg, 62, is a veteran basketball coach. He’s worked at all levels and in both the men’s and women’s game. Currently, coach Klop is in the first season of his second stint with the Fever franchise.
After three seasons as an assistant for the Charlotte Bobcats, Klop joined Lin Dunn’s staff. He previously worked with Dunn in Seattle (2000-02). After being part of some very successful teams, he got the opportunity for his first head coaching gig in the WNBA — with the Tulsa Shock.
They remain a disjointed franchise but have some excitement around them because of Skylar Diggins, the former Notre Dame star from South Bend. The Shock moved on from Klop after two seasons, a premature move. Last season, he was on the bench in Los Angeles, who went through some more troubling times.
Coach White, who previously assisted Dunn with Klop, brought him back the experienced coach with a defensive speciality.
“I’m loving it,” Kloppenburg said on the team’s bench Monday afternoon as many Fever players were being interviewed. It was his first interview of the postseason. “This is the most fun I’ve had coaching, maybe ever. The chemistry of the team and the organization is probably second to none as well, from the top down. It’s [been a] very enjoyable.”
That’s telling.
It’s the culture, it’s the people, and it’s working directly with — not for — White.
“She’s just an outstanding young coach,” Kloppenburg said. “She listens to her players, she takes input from her coaches, [and is] very open. She’s always wanting to learn and get better and that’s why I think she’s going to be an outstanding coach for a lot of years.
“To step in, without any experience, and do the job she’s done has just been tremendous. She’s a joy to work with. She treats her players and her staff very well.”
January a Cornerstone of the Franchise?
Briann January warms up prior to Game 1.
It may sound crazy, but Briann January has become a cornerstone of the Fever franchise.
Selected sixth overall in the 2009 draft out of Arizona State, January learned under the wing of Tully Bevilaqua and then shot her way forward to becoming an integral part of the team.
That’s why before this season was even over, the Fever agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with their starting point guard.
January’s a feisty player who doesn’t back down. (I mean, she owns a blackbelt in karate.) When things get testy, she gets even more fired up. A call she doesn’t like? Look out, she’s going to make the opponent pay.
She was the player of the game, no doubt, in Game 1. After a poor start offensively (0-for-5), she made six of her final nine attempts, including a couple of late shots to keep the Lynx at a distance. She scored a team-best 19 points, a season high, and she assisted on six buckets before fouling out with 72 seconds to play.
January was part of the Fever’s first Finals appearance in 2009 when they came up short to Phoenix. Over her seven seasons, they have advanced to the championship round three times. They have reached the Eastern Conference Finals in all but two seasons No. 20 has been on the team.
“It’s crazy because when I came here, we had a very veteran-led team and I was the baby kind of just following the way,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, I’m here, [having] been on the team the second-longest behind Tamika and it’s crazy just to see this organization grow and progress and bring in new talent and still maintain that high level of performance. It’s been great.”
January, 28, has been named to the All-Defensive First Team for the third time and was named to the All-Star team last season.
“I love this organization,” she continued. “I’m glad to be a part of it. Happy to have signed my extension and hopefully we have great things in the future for us, as well.”
I would put January up there, just below Catchings and White.
Maya Moore Highlights Fever Chemistry
Maya Moore won two NCAA titles at UConn (2009-2010) and was the 2014 WNBA MVP.
I had never talked a length with Maya Moore before. She’s one of the fresh faces of the league and a great interview. She talked the entire required 30 minutes to a variety of media outlets, gave thoughtful answers, looked you in the eye, and actually didn’t make you feel like she wanted to be anywhere else but there, as some NBA players do.
One answer stood out to me — and, assuming you read the sections above, you’ll sense the ongoing theme. Here’s Moore’s response to what makes the Fever a special team.
“You know they’re not going to hurt themselves,” Moore said. “Teams that have maybe some weaknesses chemistry-wise have the potential to hurt themselves, and at this point in the year you can’t afford to do that. That’s why every possession is so critical, so valuable and you know you have to be on it.
“They’re a very confident bunch that are talented at every position. It’s a great challenge and that’s exactly how it should be.”
It’s one thing for the Fever to talk and show how together they are, but it’s even more impressive for a respected opponent to point it out. One member of the staff who has been there for nearly a half-dozen seasons said this is the closest team they had been a part of. They genuinely enjoy their time together.
Lynx Learn from 2012 Finals “Upset”
Lindsay Whalen is a very decorated player in the league. She’s a two-time WNBA champion, five-time All-Star, captain, and an excellent point guard in the league since 2004.
She admittedly had a poor night on Sunday, managing just four points, four assists, and three rebounds. She attempted three shots, making one, but was relatively quiet. Now, January deserves a lot of credit and so does her help-side defense.
There has been a lot of changeover for both teams in this finals series, but a handful of players from both teams are again featured players in this one. It’s never fun to lose, especially in the finals, but Whalen said they did learn from that 3-1 “upset” in the 2012.
“That series really taught us a lot about ourselves and how hard it is and how much you have to work to get back to this level,” she said, sitting on the scorer’s table near mid-court. “In 2012, they really came out and played really hard. They won the championship that year and I think that we’ve grown since then and we’ve learned from that.”
Maya Moore echoed her teammates thoughts about the finals loss reinforcing how hard it is to win at this level and how valuable every single possession can be.
Coach Dunn, Pacers Buy 2,300 Game 3 Tickets to Give Away
Members of the Indiana Pacers and former Fever head coach Lin Dunn have purchased 2,300 tickets to Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. When the series moves to Indianapolis on Friday (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2), they want to ensure there is a loud and rowdy environment at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Dunn, along with Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Paul George, George Hill, and C.J. Miles have bought 2,300 seats, which will be made available (up to four tickets per person) at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse Box Office beginning at noon on Wednesday.
Also, Friday will be declared Fever Friday and the franchise encourages fans and local residents to wear red in support of the team.
Follow Scott Agness’ coverage all series long on VigilantSports.com and on Twitter, @ScottAgness.