ATLANTA — In the course of just 11 days, the Indiana Fever's season outlook changed entirely.
Going into a game against the Connecticut Sun, then the WNBA's best, on the road on June 10, the Fever were exhausted. They suffered a third loss to Connecticut, this time in near-blowout fashion, 89-72, which dropped them down to 3-10 on the season. Coach Christie Sides criticized the effort of four of her starters.
At that point, the Fever seemed directionless. They were on track to miss the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year, putting them in the lottery, and a discussion of if Indiana could ever rebuild enough to dig out of this hole.