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WNBA Finals Trend Should Worry Fever After Commissioner's Cup Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 12:48 PM ET

The Indiana Fever's championship hopes might not be as strong as many thought coming into the 2025 WNBA season. The 2012 champions are still trying to figure things out under Stephanie White and multiple new players.

Amid an 8-8 start to the season, the Fever visited the Minnesota Lynx (14-2) for the Commissioner's Cup championship game, in which they beat the 2024 WNBA Finals runners-up 74-59.

They pulled off the upset despite not having Caitlin Clark available for the game. This was a notable win for the Fever, who were visibly excited after securing the in-season tournament against the best team in the league.

Natasha Howard led the way with 16 points, followed by Sophie Cunningham's 13 points and Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald, who scored 12 points apiece.

As great as this result was, it could be bad news for the Fever. The Athletic's women's basketball X account shared on Wednesday that the last two Commissioner's Cup losers ended up having the last laugh and winning the championship months later.

The last two Commissioner’s Cup losers went on to win the WNBA title:

◽️ 2023: Aces lost to the Liberty, won the Finals

◽️ 2024: Liberty lost to the Lynx, won the Finals

◽️2025: Lynx lost to the Fever ...

Is falling short in July is the spark for a ring in October? pic.twitter.com/C29m4MmeWZ
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) July 2, 2025

The Las Vegas Aces took revenge against the New York Liberty in the 2023 Finals, while the Liberty did the same against the Lynx last year. Minnesota returned to the Commissioner's Cup final, as the past two WNBA champions did, playing a high level of basketball.

Led by leading MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and a group of hungry players, the Lynx have serious chances to take down the Liberty. They have been the most consistent team in the league this season, but other squads, such as the Phoenix Mercury, Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm, are also exceeding expectations.

The Fever are still championship hopeful, but they need to make some tweaks before joining the candidates' table.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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