More than four months have passed since the Fever rookie star began her career at Mohegan Sun Arena on the opening night of the regular season. But during the first round of the playoffs on September 22nd, it felt a lot like May again. Most likely, because Connecticut’s roster, more composed and full of veterans, executed impressively in a 93-69 win. The Sun’s defense swarmed the passing lanes and attacked from the floor. Despite this feat, the Sun still stands as a “disrespected” team within the community, believes Alyssa Thomas.

On September 23rd, the Sun’s #25 teamed up with The Next to share takeaways from their practice session for Sunday’s game. Meanwhile, she also delivered a reality check to the Mohegan Sun Arena. “It’s normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better,” she expressed.

It all accumulated during Thomas and Co.’s practice session. While preparing for the triumphant victory, the Sun was a bit off, primarily because they had to share Mohegan Sun Arena—not for the game, but for a community event. This has been a recurring event reportedly with the team having to split their court and gym time for community games and classes. The players would have liked an exception for the recent practice at least, considering they were moving to the playoffs.

“We’re a professional team. We’re competing in the playoffs. And yeah, having to share your court with a two-year-old’s birthday party is the ultimate disrespect,” she added after the Sun practiced on half court.

The Connecticut Sun stood No. 3 with a 28-12 run, as one of the best teams in the league. The instance was sure a sting then. But the team seemed to use it to their advantage as a fuel to perform even better.

And Alyssa Thomas and Co. did just that

For SUn, excelling on the court was the only response. They knew that to be heard, they had to play even better. Even setbacks couldn’t stop them. At first, Tyasha Harris got injured while trying to block Lexie Hull from attempting a three-pointer. She lost balance and fell to the ground with a twisted ankle.

She never returned to the game afterward. And she wasn’t the only one who got injured. Even the veteran, Thomas, appeared to struggle with an injury scare, which became an obstacle in their quest to best the Fever. But she endured her injury well, as it went unnoticed until she was subbed out with three minutes left on the clock.

She limped toward the bench, reflecting the pain. But since the agenda behind today’s win was significant, she continued her dominance on the court. By the time the match concluded, the Sun’s playoff opener had made Thomas only the second player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in the first round of the playoffs. And that was how the Sun responded to the Mohegan Sun Arena’s ‘disrespect’.