Tamika Catchings wasn’t going to exit the playoffs without a fight.
After a disappointing Game 2 performance against the New York Liberty where she scored only two points, the MVP-candidate came through with an MVP game in the deciding Game 3 helping the Indiana Fever take the series with a 72-62 victory.
Catchings came up with a stat line she’s been known for throughout her career: 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and zero turnovers. She even received a technical foul after being wrestled to the ground by New York’s Nicole Powell. She came to the post game press conference with a black eye.
“She does everything. She’s just a wonderful multi-dimensional player,” said Fever coach Lin Dunn. “I knew what happened (in Game 2) wasn’t going to happen again. That’s just not Tamika Catchings.”
Added Catchings, “I was really disappointed in my performance in Game 2. It’s not about scoring, but I think my team needs me to have a decent game in order for us to win.”
The Fever will face the Atlanta Dream in the Eastern Conference Finals. At Recorder press time, Game 1 of the series at Conseco Fieldhouse had yet to take place.
Indiana will need more MVP performances from Catchings if they hope to outlast Atlanta; they were 0-4 against the Dream during the regular season.
They will also need the defense and scoring from Katie Douglas who was undoubtedly the best player against the Liberty averaging just under 22 points. She held New York’s leading scorer Cappie Pondexter to 4 of 11 shooting in Game 3.
“She’s had a super series,'” Dunn said. “She’s attacking, she’s scoring, she’s defending. You have to give Katie a lot of credit, her assignment was Cappie. When she was in the game, she was on Cappie, and I think she did a really good job of bothering her. She’s had a super playoffs.”
The three keys to winning Game 3 for the Fever were defense, rotating and making sure everyone was covered, and rebounding said Catchings. In order to beat Atlanta, who lost in last year’s Finals to the Seattle Storm, Indiana must do the same.
Dunn noted that although the Fever were winless against Atlanta, they never played them at full strength.
“We lost Briann January (to an ACL injury for the season), we were dealing with other players’ injuries and Catchings didn’t play the final game against them,” she said. “We know we can beat Atlanta. We’re not afraid of Atlanta. We’re excited about playing them at home in front of our fans.”
