On July 22nd, the Indiana Fever walked into Brooklyn’s Barclays Center without their superstar Caitlin Clark and still managed to play one of their most spirited halves of basketball this season. But by the end of the night, their 98-84 loss to the New York Liberty wasn’t just a defeat—it was a clinic in coaching malpractice.

Without Clark, expectations were low. But someone forgot to tell that to Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham.

Mitchell came out blazing, dropping 29 points in a commanding performance that screamed leadership. Meanwhile, Cunningham caught fire from beyond the arc, nailing five of her first eight three-point attempts. Her shooting was surgical, effortless, and the kind of momentum that wins games. Add to that Aaliyah Boston’s solid double-double—15 points, 12 rebounds, and her 1500th career point—and you had a Fever team that, at least for a half, looked like it could beat anyone.

Indeed, Indiana led at halftime 46–42. Without their most high-profile player, they were outplaying the defending champions on the road. It should’ve been a blueprint for resilience.

But then the second half happened. And everything unraveled.

It wasn’t a player injury. It wasn’t foul trouble. It wasn’t fatigue. It was coaching.

Instead of doubling down on what was working—Cunningham’s hot hand and Mitchell’s offensive dominance—the Fever coaching staff, led by Stephanie White, seemingly abandoned all logic. Cunningham, who had been a flamethrower from deep, barely touched the ball. She wasn’t benched. She wasn’t cold. She was simply ignored.

That’s not just a mistake. That’s a fireable offense.

Basketball 101 says when a player is hot, you ride the wave. Run her off screens, feed her the ball, force the defense to adapt. Instead, Indiana’s offense sputtered. The Liberty responded with a 19-3 run that turned a close game into a blowout.

Nineteen to three. Let that sink in.

Where was the timeout? Where was the adjustment? Where was any sign that someone on the Fever bench recognized what was happening?

Instead, Mitchell—who had been carrying the team—found herself an afterthought in crunch time. No plays were drawn up for her. No urgency was shown. It was as if Indiana forgot who their best players were.

And this isn’t a one-off. Fans have seen this pattern all season. The Fever build early leads only to unravel in the second half because of head-scratching decisions. It’s becoming Stephanie White’s signature coaching style: Start strong, get scared, collapse.

The final stat lines tell a story of missed opportunity. Mitchell with 29 points. Cunningham scorching from three. Boston owning the paint. And yet, no real effort to leverage those performances when it mattered most.

The postgame comments from White focused on “breakdowns” and “poor shot selection.” But the real breakdown? The coach herself. She failed to ride the hot hand. She failed to manage the momentum shift. She failed to recognize who her best scorers were in the final minutes.

This team is now 12-11, barely above .500, despite having the raw talent to be a top contender. They’ve beaten elite teams—like this same Liberty squad back in June when Caitlin Clark went off in the first half. So what’s stopping them from being consistent?

One word: coaching.

There’s no question the Fever have talent. Mitchell is an elite scorer. Boston is a reliable interior presence. Cunningham is proving herself as one of the league’s deadliest spot-up shooters. And Clark—when healthy—is a generational playmaker.

But talent can only go so far when your coach can’t make basic in-game decisions.

The Liberty didn’t beat the Fever because they were more talented. They won because they made adjustments. Their coach, Sandy Brondello, came out of halftime with a game plan. Indiana? They stuck with confusion and indecision.

It’s infuriating because this game could’ve been a signature win. A statement that the Fever are more than just Caitlin Clark. That they can beat elite teams with smart basketball and player development. Instead, it became a painful reminder that they’re being held back—not by injuries, not by youth, but by coaching.

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just a regular loss. This was a turning point.

The Fever coaching staff is at a crossroads. Keep doing what they’re doing, and they’ll continue to waste one of the most promising rosters in the WNBA. Or make changes—philosophically, strategically, or personnel-wise—and start winning games they should.

When Clark returns from her groin injury, all eyes will be on how this team functions. Will she be given the tools to elevate the offense, or will we see more of the same: hot players iced out, scoring droughts ignored, and leads turned into double-digit deficits?

It doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine a Fever team where Clark runs the point, drawing defenders and kicking out to Cunningham for open threes. Where Mitchell is the go-to option in the fourth quarter. Where Boston owns the glass and the paint, and the entire team plays to its strengths.

The blueprint is there. The pieces are in place. But execution starts with leadership.

And right now, Indiana doesn’t have it on the sidelines.

Until that changes, the Fever will keep losing games they have no business losing. And fans, players, and the league as a whole will keep asking the same question:

With all this talent, how are they still so mediocre?