The Connecticut Solar used a dominant second half to tug away from the Indiana Fever on Sunday in Recreation 1 of their first-round playoff matchup. Alyssa Thomas recorded her fourth profession playoff triple-double with 12 factors, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, whereas Marina Mabrey set a playoff document for factors off the bench with 27.
Caitlin Clark had a tough time in her first postseason recreation, as she shot simply 4 of 17 from the sector, together with 2 of 12 from 3-point vary. The Fever, who had been one of the best 3-point capturing group within the league after the Olympic break, shot simply 6 of 28 from downtown.
Forward of Recreation 2 on Wednesday, here is every little thing it is advisable learn about this fascinating matchup:
No. 3 Connecticut Solar vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
- Recreation 1: Solar 93, Fever 69
- Recreation 2: Fever at Solar, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPN
- Recreation 3*: Solar at Fever, Sept. 27, TBD — ESPN2
*If vital
Gamers to look at
Solar: Dijonai Carrington
Carrington just isn’t the Solar’s greatest participant, however she could also be their most essential one on this collection. That is as a result of she’ll be tasked with slowing down Caitlin Clark, who’s already one of the best playmaker within the league. An enormous, bodily wing with loads of quickness, Carrington is the precise kind of defender who may give Clark some bother, and has already had success in that one-on-one battle this season.
Fever: Caitlin Clark
No motive to get cute right here. Clark is the Fever’s greatest participant and the driving power behind their success, particularly post-Olympics. When she’s capable of management the sport and discover the appropriate stability between scoring and playmaking, the Fever are extraordinarily tough to beat. On nights the place she will get annoyed with physicality and the refs, and begins turning the ball over an excessive amount of, the Fever can run into bother.
Three keys to the collection
3-point capturing
If the Fever wish to pull off an upset, their main path is thru out-shooting the Solar. Whereas Clark and Co. are blissful to bomb away from behind the arc, the Solar want to pound the ball inside and get straightforward factors within the paint and on the free throw line.
Here is a have a look at the main discrepency in every group’s strategy and success with 3-point capturing. (All numbers per recreation and post-Olympics.)
|
Fever |
27.4 |
2nd |
39.9 |
1st |
|
Solar |
18.4 |
eleventh |
34.6 |
sixth |
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell practically made as many mixed 3s (231) because the Solar’s complete group did this season (235). If the Fever get scorching, they’re able to turning this collection into an actual math drawback for the Solar.
Who controls the tempo?
These groups are polar opposites in some ways, not simply with 3-point capturing. Additionally they play at utterly totally different speeds. With Clark operating the present, the Fever will push at any alternative, even after a made shot. The Solar, however, usually grind video games to a halt.
Publish-Olympics, the Fever had the second-fastest tempo within the league (98.68), and the Solar ranked ninth (94.67).
The Fever are going to wish to flip this collection right into a monitor meet the place they will benefit from Clark’s playmaking and their 3-point capturing, and keep away from taking part in in opposition to the Solar’s set halfcourt protection. However, the Solar are going to need this to be extra of a halfcourt slog, the place they will use their dimension and physicality to bully the younger Fever.
Turnovers
The Solar gained 28 video games and earned the No. 3 seed on the again of their protection, which boasts a number of All-Defensive caliber gamers. They’re huge, bodily, athletic, powerful and skilled. In brief, they’re every little thing you desire a protection to be.
A significant motive the Solar completed the common season with one of the best defensive ranking is as a result of they power lots of turnovers. Actually, their 20.9 opponent turnover charge is the very best by any group within the final three seasons. When opponents are solely getting shot makes an attempt off on 4 of each 5 possessions, it turns into very tough to attain constantly.
On the opposite facet is a Fever group that has struggled with taking good care of the ball all season lengthy. They rank ninth in turnover charge (18.8) for all the season, and have solely been barely higher throughout their post-Olympics scorching streak (18.3).
The Fever are going to show the ball over in opposition to this Solar group. The questions then turn out to be: 1. Can they at the least preserve them to a manageable quantity? And a pair of. How a lot will the Solar benefit from the turnovers they power? For the season, the Solar are first within the league in 18.6 factors off turnovers per recreation. In the event that they get that many straightforward factors every recreation, they are going to win the collection.
Prediction
The Fever have been hailed because the decrease seed nobody wished to face within the first spherical, and for good motive. Clark is already the most effective gamers within the league, and so they had one of the best offense within the league by a large margin post-Olympics. In a brief three-game collection, they may completely catch fireplace and beat any group twice in three video games.
However will they? It is a unhealthy matchup for the Solar in some methods, however they’ve much more expertise in these conditions than the Fever. And if playoff basketball has taught us something through the years, that is a vital issue. Decide: Solar in 3