The Indiana Fever are a rebuilding outfit with nice pieces, but they have been a major disappointment for a quarter of the season. The effort on defense is not adequate. Caitlin Clark’s teammates have not reached the same court wavelength as her. Players miss open looks. The bench is inefficient, logging 16.1 points on 39.6% shooting per game. And Aliyah Boston, last campaign’s top rookie, hasn’t been herself.

But they have the tools to change the narrative.

Let’s review the story through approximately 28% of the season…

The defense isn’t sharp:

The Fever are last in the WNBA in defensive rating (111.8), eleventh in opponent paint marks (38.2) and concede the third-most second-chance points (14.5).

One of the weakest areas of protection is the 3-point line because defenders overreact to a pass or drive and don’t guard snipers closely enough.

Kristy Wallace and Aliyah Boston have been terrible:

Wallace has wasted open looks. But more concerning is Boston being a shell of the powerhouse she was last season.

Boston is recording 4.5 attempts in the restricted area yet converting 49% of tries. In 2023, she shot 5.9 times at zero to three feet, making 65.8% nightly.

Boston hasn’t looked as fluid around the paint, is fouling slightly more than last season and she is recovering two fewer rebounds. As a result, she’s had her minutes slightly gashed (3.5).

When Boston rediscovers her game, the Fever will have an easier time scoring in the half court.

Kelsey Mitchell’s impact is greater than her field goal percentage:

Mitchell is logging decent numbers on an inefficient field goal percentage- 15.1 points on 37.8% shooting, with 1.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists – but this production doesn’t do her justice. She is the second-best option the Fever has off the dribble and no.2 in dependability this season.

Additionally, Mitchell is second in the WNBA in fast break points (31), catching passes from Kristy Wallace, Erica Wheeler, Temi Fagbenle, Katie Lou Samuelson, Boston, and Clark in the open court. Some of the Fever’s best offense is outletting to Mitchell.

In the half court, she works well getting open off-ball on cuts and has an explosive first step with the rock.

Considering how Clark is relentlessly blitzed up top, the Fever should consider running more pick-and-roll sets with Mitchell as her screener. Despite Mitchell shooting 31.8% from long range, she’ll have quality looks because of Clark’s gravity for a jumper, or she can use the space to get to the rim.

Mitchell is also ninth in marks off turnovers (33).

NaLyssa Smith’s strong play:

Smith had some tough outings to start the year but elevated her game. She is the Fever’s top rebounder (7.1) plus the leader in efficiency, and she is a developing shooter, making 57.1% of above-the-break triples on 1.3 attempts per game.

Smith had her best showing of the season in the Fever’s win over the Sky in the first Commissioner’s Cup game, putting up 17 points on seven of 12 looks, with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. The next night, she and Mitchell, again, were the Fever’s strongest performers despite getting blown out by the Liberty.

Clark is LEGIT

Clark’s been plagued by inefficiency- averaging 15.6 points on 35.7% accuracy, including 29.7% from deep, with 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 dimes- but she catches a high volume of defensive schemes. To boot, she is eighth in usage percentage, counting players who have registered at least six matches.

Being a deep threat is a large part of her game, as 63.6% of her shots are from behind the arc. But some of the trifectas she hoists are tough off the dribble. For example, unsuccessfully shooting over DiJonai Carrington and Moriah Jefferson from the logo against the Connecticut Sun, bricking a pull-up three with Carrington all over her, and misfiring a step back, facing the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, who stuck close to her.

Yet, of her 27 made threes, 18 have been off the dribble, and nine were catch-and-shoot. Clark likes to stop on a dime and fire, but her team needs to look for more ways to get her open off-ball through staggers, flares and misdirection.

Her other correctable problem so far has been that she is a turnover machine. She makes bold passes in the open court, but some are picked off, and blitzes have given her trouble.

Her top strength is her vision. Even when she shoots poorly, CC impacts the game as a playmaker or decoy.

The Pacers tried to prolong the inevitable, but the Celtics locked up the hosts in the last three-and-a-half minutes to sweep the series and advance to the NBA Finals. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was rocking like a madhouse, but most home supporters dispersed, and the cheers of rival fans echoed through the building as Gang Green celebrated at center court.

Team governor Wyc Grousbeck dedicated the win to former Trail Blazer and Celtic Bill Walton, who died of cancer on Memorial Day Monday.

Coach Joe Mazzulla said, “As a coach, the greatest gift you can have is a group of guys that trust you…”

Next, Jaylen Brown was handed the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy by former Celtic great Cedric Maxwell. He briefly savored the moment and made clear the objective is to “get some more.”

Yet early, Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard downed two mid-range jumpers off the dribble. Pascal Siakam swished two fadeaways in the paint. And TJ McConnell blasted through interior protections.

Nembhard continued to produce, setting up Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner and McConnell, but the the second half wasn’t as prosperous for his top running mates. Siakam misfired a right-wing tray behind Turner’s pin down and bricked two in the corners, and McConnell converted 33% of attempts.

But Jayson Tatum and Brown were unstoppable, attacking the basket. Jrue Holiday shot efficiently and hauled in nine boards. And Derrick White ripped the ball from Turner plus asphyxiated the passing lanes with five steals and sunk the dagger into the Pacers’ chest with a corner three with 45 seconds left.

Brown accidentally clipped McConnell in mid-air in the face while going for a loose ball, sending Indiana’s guard violently to the floor on his backside. As the Pacers were up six points with seven minutes left, it was ruled a common foul when it should’ve been flagrant.

Yet Brown still had his finest moments in the fourth quarter. He canned two 3-pointers, pivoted past Toppin in the lane for an eight-foot floater, grazed Siakam’s kick out, causing a turnover and switched onto Nembhard’s drive and denied his shot at the cup as the game was tied at 102 with a minute left.

The Celtics won 105-102. On top of that, the group had 48 paint points, 14 on the break, 11 via second chances, nine off turnovers and 10 from the bench.

Brown averaged 29.8 points on 51.7% shooting, including 37% from long range, with five rebounds and three assists per game in the series. He received five of the nine votes for East Finals MVP. Tatum had the remaining four.

The Celtics will make their 23rd Finals appearance and they outscored the Pacers by 27 points through four games.

The Pacers whacked the hobbled Knickerbockers in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Vibrations of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s curses could be felt at Central Park. The hosts conceded 67.1% of field goals. And supporters are still stuck with memories of greatness, and a growing number of them didn’t see it live or in person.

To make matters worse, the basketball gods showed their cruelty; Jalen Brunson fractured his left hand, and OG Anunoby lasted five minutes before the masterminds on the sideline said, “Hey, maybe he shouldn’t be playing on his mangled hamstring.”

Josh Hart also gave a brave and dumb effort, playing with an abdominal injury. His cojones got him a standing ovation after 37 brutal minutes. In Game 7 and the series, his efforts are reminiscent of Boxer in George Orwell’s Animal Farm- the horse who worked until he couldn’t stand.

Yet early, Pascal Siakam was unleashed, downing five of six baskets on a pick-and-pop jumper, cut, and transition attacks.

Tyrese Halliburton dribbled inside the lane for a turnaround jumper and hit four trays.

And Aaron Nesmith, TJ McConnell plus Andrew Nembhard defended New York’s Brunson, holding him to three of eight first-quarter field goals.

Donte DiVincenzo was the high Knick, tallying four left-side jump shots for a dozen marks on 44.4% accuracy.

Through 12 minutes, the Pacers led 39-27, registering 76.2% of attempts to the hosts’45.8%.

Subsequently, the visitors neutralized Brunson, coming off screens downhill, and successfully contested Miles McBride’s deep shots and layup on time. But they couldn’t restrain Alec Burks from supplying 14 points, pressuring the rim and pulling up from midrange.

Yet, the Pacers’ offense feasted, producing 13 of 17 shots. Nesmith, Nembhard, McConnell and Myles Turner each logged two baskets.

The Pacers were ahead 70-55 at halftime. On top of that, the guests had 24 paint points, three on the break, five via second chances, four off turnovers and 15 from the bench.

The Pacers became the first team in NBA history to score 70 points in the first half of a Game 7 on the road on 76.3% shooting.

The Knicks showed admirable pride, cutting their deficit from 22 to 15, but they held on like a prize fighter three rounds away from getting stopped. They had 24 interior points, three in the open court, eight on extra tries, eight off turnovers and 20 from the reserves.

Then the Pacers follow up with a strong third quarter out of intermission. Nesmith added 11 more points, shooting at the elbow and driving into the lane. Haliburton finished a layup on the break and splashed two 3-pointers. And McConnell made two close-range buckets.

Defensively, the Pacers were burned for five of 11 trifectas, being slow to recover to the handoff up top, not setting a high enough pick-up point in transition and getting shot over.

In the third quarter, Brunson hurt his left hand and was subbed out with four minutes left. He didn’t return.

Next, the fourth quarter began with the guests up 101-84.

The Knicks made six of 12 baskets to open the frame, but they were still behind 17 points with five minutes left. On the other side, the Pacers powered up, notching seven of 12 looks in the same period.

The Knicks were so battered that Hart logged three fourth-quarter minutes, and Precious Achiuwa and Alec Burks had 11.

The Pacers won 130-109. Furthermore, the group had 52 paint points, 11 on the break, six via second chances, 15 off turnovers and 28 from the bench.

The Pacers’ double-digit scorers were Haliburton (26), Nembhard (20), Siakam (20), Nesmith (19), Turner (17), and McConnell (12).

The Knicks had 38 paint points, 17 in the open court, 14 on extra tries, 12 off turnovers and 38 from the reserves.

The Knicks’ leading scorers were DiVincenzo (39), Burks (26, Brunson (17) and Hart (10).

The Pacers tied the second most field goal attempts ever made in a Game 7, per NBA Communications.

The Pacers will now face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said postgame, “When you win a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, you’ve made history.”

Haliburton said his group is the deepest in the league and shouted out the bench. “We got five, six guys ready on the bench at all times.”

Vintage Pat Riley emerged from his cave for his end-of-the-season presser, criticizing and praising his group. He also rebuked the idea of a rebuild because he thinks a healthy Jimmy Butler can be a 1A player in the Postseason.

He started with an indication that there must be a change to the team’s approach to winning. Player availability is a big deal to the Heat and so are tweaks to the offense and defense. Which means he expects more from coach Erik Spoelstra and the trainers.

When asked about the shelf life of the Heat’s build as it approaches its sixth season together, Riley initially told a story about telling LeBron James in a meeting after the 2011 Finals about “going to work on the roster” by adding depth. Yet that team hadn’t burned itself out by playing so long together.

As an anti-rebuilder, he doubled down and said his goal is to keep the ride going. “You start talking about the Draft more than anything else right now.” But on the current squad, he said everyone is bothered by not having claimed a title despite its success over the last five seasons.

Regarding Butler’s second extension, Riley said, “We don’t have to do that for a year. We have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at making that kind of commitment… We’ll see.”

Butler, who will be age 35 in September and who has played in 74.4% of the Heat’s regular season games since 2019-20, is on notice that the Godfather expects his top earner to be on the court more often. Riley also shared that he had spoken “thoroughly” with Butler’s agent, Bernard Lee, before last season about attendance.

Answering about his feelings on rest and missed time, Riley said, “This whole injury reporting stuff… I can remember when there was a time we never reported any injury because you then became a target.”

As a point of reference to Riley’s mentality, when he was coach of the Lakers in 1988, he permitted James Worthy to play in the All-Star Game with left knee tendinitis after the team’s public relations department said he would not. And his brother Len passed away at age 52 of an illness the Friday before the exhibition he coached for the West stars.

He isn’t a fan of the 65-game rule either because he thinks it gives players an excuse to miss 17 outings.

Furthermore, the Don said Tyler Herro is fragile and needs to make some adjustments but highlighted his work ethic. Then he said Herro is a starter when asked if he agreed with Udonis Haslem, the former Heatles’ captain and current vice president of basketball development, who recently commented on ESPN that the group is better with him as a sixth man.

Bam Adebayo needs to “expand his game.” Riley cited Magic Johnson making changes to become a better shooter and post up player to pick up his scoring.

PS: Terry Rozier is still using a neck brace and is “feeling good,” according to Riley.

Riley wasn’t thrilled with Butler’s comment about an alternative first-round outcome with the Boston Celtics had he been healthy enough to play. He said, “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and [stop] your criticism of those teams.”

And he’s trying to get away with blaming the 2011 Finals loss on not having enough depth, like LeBron James recently has on episode three of the Mind the Game podcast. The real reason was James getting outplayed by Jason Terry.

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The Celtics destroyed the outgunned Heatles at TD Garden, eliminating the visitors from the Playoffs. The Celtics’ defense, the disparity on the glass, 56-29, in favor of the hosts, and the Heat’s lack of outside offense sums up this massacre.

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).

Bam Adebayo scored off an inverted pick-and-roll set with Tyler Herro, successfully shooting thrice over Al Horford and dunking through the middle in the first quarter for the Heat. But it took them nowhere as the rest of the guests converted five of 13 baskets and they were down 23-41 at its end.

For the Celtics, Derrick White swished two freebies, finished in transition, drove from the left wing to the cup for a dunk and made three trays. Jaylen Brown produced four shots in the restricted area. And Jayson Tatum made two 3-pointers.

It was already a lost cause for the Heat in the second quarter.

Brown triumphantly shot over Herro, hooked at close range while covered by Adebayo, jammed from the dunker spot and supplied a 3-pointer. Jrue Holiday contributed seven points, and Tatum put up six more.

On the Heat side, Herro finally got on the board with three baskets after five fruitless ventures in the first. And Adebayo logged four shots, rim rolling and canning two jumpers.

The Heat was down 46-68. Additionally, the team had 30 paint points, three on the break, none via second chances, five off turnovers and six from the bench.

The Celtics had 26 interior points, zero in the open court, five on extra tries, two off turnovers and eight from the reserves.

Then the Heat were stuck in second gear coming out of the break, failing on all six 3-point attempts because the Celtics contested on time or let Adebayo shoot. Furthermore, Adebayo was off-target inside the arc, making one of seven baskets in the frame.

The only Heatles to record multiple field goals in the third quarter were Delon Wright and Herro. The former drove from the wing to the cup for a layup and cut up the baseline for a scoop shot. The latter got the hole twice and made a shot at the elbow over Horford to cut the deficit to 32 points.

For the hosts, Brown and White put up eight more points apiece. Horford overpowered Patty Mills and Wright near the rim to score. And Sam Hauser got by Nikola Jović on the baseline for a dunk and hit a right-side triple.

The Heat entered the fourth quarter down 66-98 and never got the deficit below 30 points the rest of the way. Adebayo didn’t play in the sequence and Herro was in fewer than three minutes.

The match was so out of hand and in garbage time that only two Celtics starters- Tatum and Holiday- played in the quarter and none longer than four minutes.

The Heat lost 84-118 and got beat on the glass by 27. To boot, the team had 58 paint points, three on the break, none via second chances, 15 off turnovers and 20 from the bench. On top of that, the group never had the lead in Game 5.

The Celtics put up 52 interior points, five in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 10 off turnovers and 34 from the reserves.

White (25), Brown (25), Hauser (17), Tatum (16) and Holiday (10) were Boston’s double-digit scorers.

At the postgame presser, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra credited the Celtics as a top-tier outfit and said, “We’re not going to put this on the fact that we had some injuries.”

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