“I don’t have a single starter who’s ever played in a playoff game… We’re all trying to figure out what we need,” shared Fever head coach Christie Sides before entering the regular season finale. For her, the utmost priority was to be “cautious” with the Fever’s roster minutes on the court for the non-consequential game. But it seems she stumbled.

Right after the Indiana Fever’s 90-91 loss against the Mystics, Christie Sides discussed the game during a post-game media conference. “Just when she went down I stroked out a little bit, so I made the decision right then,” she shared. The Fever, with a 20-20 record and having already secured the No. 6 seed, had no impact on their last game, yet Sides still opted for Mitchell to play.

As the first quarter neared a close following the Fever’s impressive 18-2 run, Mitchell collided with a Mystics player and slowed down. Despite being initially injured, the team’s leading scorer chose to stay in the game before heading to the locker room with Todd Champlin, the athletic trainer.

Later, the two-time All-Star was seen benched with a brace on her left knee. With the playoffs just three days away, her injury raised questions about Sides’ coaching decision. Naturally, it left everyone speculating about the severity of her injury. However, all those speculations were put to rest as Sides confirmed, “Kelsey’s good… She’s going to get ready for Sunday.”

Kelsey Mitchell is one of the “Dynamic Duo”

The 2018 No. 2 pick, Kelsey Mitchell, has always been a standout on the Fever’s roster. Despite the arrival of the highly anticipated rookie Caitlin Clark, her gameplay has remained unaffected. In fact, she has been instrumental in helping Clark adjust to the league. With an average of 19.6 points per game, Mitchell ranks above Clark in scoring, yet she never misses an opportunity to support Clark on the court.

Even head coach Christie Sides admits, “They’re just the dynamic duo. I mean, that’s who they are.” In the last game against the Dallas Wings, the duo combined for 65 points in their 65:51 minutes on the court. While Mitchell, a veteran, went 12 of 21 to add 30 illustrious points in the final regular season home game, Clark recorded a career-high 35 points.

What led to that performance? It’s nothing else but the pair themselves. As Clark revealed, there were moments in the game when they looked at each other, and unbeknownst to the Wings or even the crowd in the arena, they knew what to do next. This might have happened in the last game of the season against the Washington Mystics as well if Mitchell hadn’t been injured.

Though she still racked up 4 points in 5 minutes of gameplay before being benched at the end of the first quarter, there’s still a long way to go, especially with playoff spots just three days away.