LAS VEGAS — Kelsey Mitchell was speaking with reporters ahead of the Indiana Fever’s opening game of the WNBA semifinals when shouts from across the court interrupted the guard.
“Kelsey for MVP, baby!” yelled teammate Sophie Cunningham.
Mitchell cracked a smile, chuckled and tried to stay on topic, answering a question about the Fever defense going up against the high-octane offense of the Las Vegas Aces. But the good-natured heckling from Indiana’s injured players continued.
“Vote for Mitchell!” Caitlin Clark shouted.
The next day, for the first time in her WNBA career, Mitchell was named one of five finalists for the MVP award. But something even more consequential happened on the court Sunday: She scored 34 points on 12-for-23 shooting — the most points by a WNBA player in her first career semifinal game — to lead the Fever to a Game 1 upset of the No. 2 seed Aces on their home court.
“Clearly, we had no answer for Mitchell,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said. “Couldn’t even attempt to slow her down a little bit.”
The No. 6 seed Fever weren’t expected to be here after losing Clark and three other guards to season-ending injuries in the regular season. As they look to keep their unexpected playoff run going, Mitchell has more responsibility on her shoulders than ever — but keeps meeting the occasion. Regardless of how the next few weeks play out, this season has been Mitchell’s coronation as — in Hammon’s words — “one of the most difficult guards in the league to cover.” And it has been a long time coming.
“Kelsey Mitchell has been through the worst parts of this franchise, and she deserves to go through the best,” Indiana coach Stephanie White…
