You see it all the time in professional sports. A team gets out in front of the pack in the standings and somehow they let down the stretch and lose their swagger.
That does not appear to be the case with our Girls Of Summer here in Indianapolis, as the Indiana Fever continues to roll on in hopes of their first WNBA title.
Sure there are 10 games left, but I indeed like the chances of this team taking care of business to close out the regular season and prepare for the playoffs. For those of you out there who have not attended a Fever home game this year, please allow me to share the following observations with you.
The team has a WNBA best record of 19-5 and a simply ridiculous home game-winning streak that has now reached 12 games.
Oh, did I mention the ladies have only lost once at home this year?
How about Katie Douglas? She continues to impress with what may be a league MVP performance in the making. Ditto for perennial All – Pro Tamika Catchings who has fought through injuries to deliver her normal impressive statistics.
Then there is Tully Bevilaqua, a 37 year-old point guard who plays like she is 17.
Do not forget Ebony Hoffman as she too has brought it to the table this year in a season that has been truly special to date.
Coach Lin Dunn has been masterful in managing her bench and in the opinion of this scribe, silenced some ill-advised criticism of her coaching style. She has kept the team focused and has taken her troops to task on those rare occasions this season when they were not meeting her expectations on the floor.
Her team is demonstrating a quick strike offensive capability and she has done a good job in keeping complacency from setting in. That in itself is a daunting task when you are winning.
Barring injuries, this team is positioned to make a championship run, but must first focus on closing out the regular season strongly and not get caught looking ahead to the playoffs.
Something tells me that will not be a problem for this bunch, and we as a community need to come along for what looks to be a magical ride and support them in their quest to hang a championship banner in Conseco Fieldhouse this year.
Now then, why is it you have not attended a home game yet?
Notes: Tamika Catchings was recently named to the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team. Eight members are selected before the training camp and additional members will be added later. Can you say Katie Douglas, selection committee?
The Fever will travel to Sacramento on Aug. 20 and to Seattle on Aug. 22. They are back home again on Aug. 27 to face San Antonio who defeated the Fever on July 23 in the Lone Star state. Look for revenge to occur on Aug. 27, which is also, adopt a pet night at the Fieldhouse. Come early to see some wonderful pets that will be on display for adoption.
Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com or the Conseco Fieldhouse Box office.
The Fever recently announced their All Decade Team.
You can look at the team along with all the information you could ever want to know about the Fever at www.wnba.com/fever. Check out a great Web site today.
Note: Thanks for all the feedback regarding the Michael Vick story in last week’s edition. Look for Vick to distinguish himself in Philadelphia this season, and more importantly, by doing it off the field and in the community.
Danny Bridges, who thinks Fever basketball is hands down the best sports entertainment value in town and is looking forward to the WNBA playoffs, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or Bridgeshd@aol.com.
