5:00 PM ET, August 15, 2010
The Indiana Fever were able to win the Eastern Conference regular-season crown last year despite a season-ending slump. They know that a much tighter race this year likely won't allow for a repeat of that situation.
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The first-place Fever try to match a season high with their fifth straight victory Sunday when they face the Connecticut Sun, who are in danger of missing the postseason for the second straight time.
The Fever dropped seven of their final 10 games in 2009, but still won the East by four games. Indiana had clinched the top seed by late August, but the club is in a fight to secure that spot this season.
Indiana (20-10), which came within a victory of its first WNBA title last year, is trying to hold off New York, Washington and Atlanta for the No. 1 seed.
The Fever are still in control because of their four-game win streak, which followed a season-high three-game slide that left them tied for second place Aug. 3.
"That three-game slump might have helped us as far as re-focusing and getting us ready for the final push to the playoffs," forward Tamika Catchings told the team's official website after a 29-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance in a 110-90 victory over Phoenix on Friday. "I feel like we're on our way up. We haven't reached the top of the potential of this team."
The Fever play three of their final four games on the road, opening a three-game trip Sunday. Indiana has gone 5-1 in its last six on the road.
While the Fever have clinched their sixth straight trip to the playoffs, the Sun (15-15) are in a much more tenuous position, sitting fifth in the East.
Connecticut picked up a key victory Friday, routing league-leading Seattle 88-68 at home for its second win in three games. The Sun took advantage of the Storm resting their starters for most of the game and shot a season-high 55.2 percent from the field.
"I thought we were crisp from the beginning," coach Mike Thibault said. "We had 18 assists at halftime. That's a good sign."
Repeating that offensive performance could be difficult against the Fever, who are second in the league in scoring defense at 73.9 points per game and in field-goal percentage defense at 41.7.
Sun rookie center Tina Charles, averaging 15.5 points and a league-high 11.8 rebounds, needs one double-double to pass Natalie Williams for the single-season record with 20.
Charles has averaged just 9.3 points and 7.3 boards against the Fever this season, but the Sun have won two of three meetings.
Catchings is averaging 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.7 steals versus Connecticut in 2010.
Connecticut is looking to take the season series from Indiana for the first time since 2007. The Sun swept the four regular-season matchups that year, then lost in three games to the Fever in the opening round of the playoffs.
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