The state of Indiana is synonymous with basketball. Hoosiers have a profound love and respect for their hoops, and it shines through in the capital city of Indianapolis. Both the Fever and Pacers are exhilarating the community.
The former, with Caitlin Clark front and center, has helped spark a WNBA revolution. And the latter is two wins away from seizing their first NBA championship. Tamika Catchings understands what this heightened excitement and exposure means to locals. She did her own part to fuel Indiana’s pride during her legendary, decade-and-a-half run with the Fever.
Catchings, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, led the franchise to its first and currently only title in 2012. Beyond the natural jubilation that comes from reaching the pinnacle, the WNBA Finals MVP and her teammates gained extra satisfaction from overcoming seemingly daunting odds to defeat the defending champion Minnesota Lynx. They embraced the underdog role in that series and prevailed in four games.
Will history repeat itself? Catchings believes so. She has supported the Pacers throughout their rip-roaring postseason journey, for she understands how it feels to represent the perennially overlooked sports city. Beyond the natural kinship that comes with playing home games in the lively Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the 2011 MVP connects with the Pacers’ fighting spirit.
“That’s what I love about this team, it’s the way that they play and the unselfishness that they have amongst each other,” Catchings told Rafael Sanchez of Fox59 News, before Indy’s Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “You can tell they play for each other.”
Lettttttssss gooooo!!! Yes ‘Cers!!! https://t.co/hf9Vce87qY
— Tamika Catchings (@Catchin24) June 14, 2025
Will the Pacers go all the way like the 2012 Fever?
Although Tamika Catchings and fans are probably not as confident following OKC’s stellar fourth-quarter comeback on Friday, they surely still appreciate all that the Pacers have accomplished to even make it to this stage. This was not supposed to be a tight series. But just as the Indiana Fever dethroned a 27-7 Lynx squad, and did so with relative ease, this group thrives when underestimated.
“Nobody expected them to be there, let alone win a game,” the seven-time All-WNBA First-Team selection and five-time Defensive Player of the Year said. “So they win Game 1, and everybody’s like ‘oh my God, the Pacers won a game!’ And then they win Game 3 and now it really is like ‘oh, they really could win.’”
The 2025 NBA Finals is now a best-of-three showdown that shifts back to the Paycom Center for Monday’s Game 5. If Indiana steals another one on the road, which is something the team has done consistently in these playoffs, a fairy-tale ending will feel quite real. Catchings will be dialed-in, as she tries to send some of her championship mojo to the Indiana Pacers.
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