Catchings back at practice

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings participated in her first full practice in a month on Tuesday as the team prepares for its playoff opener.

The former University of Tennessee star was a leading contender for the MVP award before she injured her left foot on July 20 and missed the final 13 games of the regular season. She ran plays with the starters on Tuesday and hopes to play Thursday at Connecticut in the opener of the best-of-three series.

'It was nice to be able to come out and do what I was able to do with the team,' she said. 'I'm very excited to be out there.'

Fever forward Tamika Whitmore knows how important Catchings is to the team. Indiana was 16-5 with Catchings as a starter and 5-8 without her in the lineup.

'It's good to see her out there, getting into game rhythm,' Whitmore said. 'We're a good team without her, and a great team with her.'

Catchings said her pain level is a 3 or 4 on a 1-to-10 scale and she expects to be able to play if that doesn't become worse. She did some light work on Monday at an optional practice with mostly reserves, then she ran and jumped while running plays in halfcourt drills on Tuesday. She immediately showed the hustle she has become known for, even hitting one of her signature step-back jumpers.

Fever coach Brian Winters said he won't get too excited about Catchings' progress. She still hasn't tested the foot in a game situation, and her cardiovascular conditioning likely suffered while she was out.

'How much or how well she does in a game situation — who knows?' Winters said.

Catchings averaged 16.6 points, 9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks before her injury.

Even if she sits out, the Fever still will be confident. After they lost their first five without Catchings, they closed the regular season by winning five of eight.

Point guard Tully Bevilaqua said it took a while to adjust without Catchings, but the team has regained its confidence and played well during the stretch run.

'If she doesn't play, we know how to play without her,' Bevilaqua said. 'If she does, it's all the better for us.'

Bevilaqua said the injury might have made the Fever a better, more balanced team.

'I think we found an inner strength that we didn't have before,' she said.

The Fever will need all their strength against the Sun, who won all four games with Indiana this season. Winters, though, isn't worried about the past.

'This is the playoffs,' he said. 'It's a new day. If we play at a high level and do what we need to do, we can win.'

Throughout the season, the goal for the Fever never changed, even during the losing streak.

'We've been talking about it from the beginning, that this is a championship-caliber team,' Catchings said. 'We've got to get with it.'