Fever Oversight Might Prolong Stephanie White’s 10-Year WNBA Playoff Curse, Says Analyst

When Rachel DeMita saw Lexie Hull on the court in the fourth quarter, it rubbed her the wrong way. After subbing in at 1:21 of the third quarter for Aerial Powers, Hull didn’t see the bench again until 5:15 in the fourth. That stretch wasn’t exactly necessary; Hull had already been through a lot, especially after taking a hard hit from A’ja Wilson in the second quarter while setting a screen during the Fever’s September 21 WNBA Semifinals clash with the Las Vegas Aces.

Hull ended up being questionable for Game 2. She did play, but DeMita thinks 29 minutes was way too much, more than her usual 27, especially in a game that was already out of reach. And while these feelings started with Hull’s situation, they didn’t stay limited to her.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, everyone knew the Fever were done. The Aces were up by 18, and the Fever were beat up from a rough, 41-foul game, and yet Stephanie White kept her key players on the floor for big minutes. Reflecting on the same, Rachel DeMita, in her latest episode of “Courtside Club” said,  “Lexi, Kelsey (and) Aliyah need to rest. They need to rest because the thing is, you guys, whether the Aces won tonight by 60 or whether they won by two points, it still just counts as a win.” she said in the Courtside Club.

Now, those three did not play for the entire fourth quarter. Kelsey played for around 3 minutes, Boston and Hull played for almost 5 minutes each. That is below their fourth-quarter average, but not by much. Boston averages 7.7 minutes a game in the final quarter, while Lexie Hull averages 7.2. White could have rested both of them more, especially Hull. Because if the Fever wants to win this series against the Aces, they need their starters in the best shape, so they cannot afford, as DeMita called them, “stupid mistakes”.

“The Fever need to preserve their body. They have to play with energy; they have to play with pace. They have to play with defensive intelligence,” DeMita further said. Before this, DeMita had also warned White, saying, “And so I feel like as the series progresses, as playoffs progress, whichever one of these teams makes it to the finals, the coaching is going to come more into play than it ever has in the past”.

And well, those concerns hit harder knowing that White has struggled in this exact playoff scenario before.

During Tuesday’s Fever-Aces broadcast, ESPN flashed a striking stat: Stephanie White is winless (0-3) in playoff series after taking Game 1. That includes her playoff series while coaching the Fever in the early 2015-2016 period and with the Sun. That curse could strike again. In Game 1, White looked like a coaching genius, holding A’ja Wilson and the Aces in check. But history shows momentum can flip fast, especially if you don’t protect the two players who made it happen: Boston and Mitchell.

Things become even more challenging without Clark, as her absence allows opponents to zero in on Indiana’s other scorers, especially Mitchell. That said, Stephanie White did acknowledge the concern over Mitchell’s heavy minutes, noting, “I mean, the physicality, one..She’s like a little pinball. … Sometimes I feel like she’s getting pinged around everywhere. And also she’s played heavy minutes for us. I thought she looked a little fatigued. (There were) some shots she typically makes that she didn’t.”

The Fever can’t ignore the injury risk for Mitchell, who is averaging 32.4 minutes per playoff game. The 29-year-old has been remarkably durable, playing every game for Indiana over the past three seasons. They need that streak to keep going if they want a shot at making it through. As for Boston, she’s the best matchup against Boston in this series, so the same applies to her.

At this point, though, the options are definitely limited. And amidst that, the Fever players are ready to give their all.

Fever Ready to Give Stephanie White the Extra Push

WNBA players are accustomed to intense physicality, and even Aces coach Becky Hammon protested against it after the game. But most of the players are tired of complaining and are now embracing the ‘it is what it is’ policy. Hull and Co. are ready to give their absolute best for the Fever, and they will be helped by a couple of days’ rest. Along with Hull, Boston will be helped by the two days after being tired of continuously defending A’ja Wilson.

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