Kelsey Mitchell & Fever Face 2 Big Unknowns Ahead of Game 5 vs Aces

The Aces noticed in Game 4 that Boston alone went to the free-throw line 11 times in the third quarter, 13 total. As a team, the Fever shot 34 free throws compared to just 11 for Vegas. Becky Hammon wasn’t quiet afterward. Sure, she said she liked the tighter whistles, but she also added, “I would appreciate tighter on BOTH ends.” 

That about sums it up. As of now, nobody knows which crew gets the call for Game 5. But officiating isn’t the only unknown. There’s also the broadcast crew. DeMita put it bluntly on her YouTube channel, “We don’t know who is doing the broadcast yet for this game, but there are certain broadcasters on ESPN who seem to be truly biased against the Minnesota Lynx and also against the Fever.” Fans felt it too. When DeWanna Bonner nailed those clutch threes, the commentary team went wild. But when Kayla McBride hit a cold-blooded 30-footer to cut the lead to one, it was crickets. 

And if you ask Fever fans who they don’t want on the mic, one name keeps surfacing: Rebecca Lobo. For whatever reason, they feel she downplays Indiana. Yet we’re probably looking at Lobo alongside Brian Ruocco for the call. Nothing is certain, though.  Now, does it really change what happens on the court? No. Players don’t hear that broadcast chatter. But for fans it changes the whole experience.

At the end of the day, though, the Fever have bigger things to worry about. Like, how on earth do you stop A’ja Wilson in a Game 5 elimination setting. But then again, haven’t we said that about them all postseason long? That they wouldn’t get past Dream, that Vegas would close them out in 4 games, that they just don’t have the experience and depth yet? And every time, they’ve answered. This short-handed group has surprised us again and again. So maybe the real unknown is whether this young Indiana Fever squad has one more shock left in them.

But before the game, their coach had to deal with what she called a ‘crazy’ decision from the league.

Stephanie White fined after backing Cheryl Reeve 

When Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was suspended one game for her “conduct and comments” following that controversial Game 3 against the Phoenix Mercury, more than half of the league found it odd. To many, suspending her for a crucial do-or-die Game 4, especially with Napheesa Collier already sidelined, felt harsh and beyond comprehension.

And just when you thought the drama had peaked, enter Becky Hammon and Stephanie White. Both coaches spoke up in support of their fellow coach. “I think she made a lot of valid points,” White said Sunday. “I think at some point there has to be some accountability.” Hammon echoed the sentiment, adding, “From what I heard, she did not tell a lie. She said the truth.”

Well, the league didn’t take kindly to that. Hammon and White were each fined $1,000 for their remarks, while Reeve herself was slapped with a $15,000 fine. White couldn’t help but poke fun at the situation on Monday.  Asked about the physicality and officiating in the Fever’s semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces, she smirked, “Look, I already got fined for supporting Cheryl, which I think is crazy.” She went on to add what most fans and players have been saying all postseason, “There’s nothing we want more than just consistency.”

Isn’t that the heart of it? Fans, players, coaches, everyone’s been left frustrated by the swings in officiating. If nothing else, let’s hope consistency finally shows up in Game 5.