It would, quite literally, be impossible to overstate what an amazing and inspiring game Cappie Pondexter had tonight.

Pick an adjective - phenomenal, sensational, marvelous, unparalleled, gutsy, invaluable...any of them would be fitting. Though, if I'm honest, none of them would do her justice. Cappie displayed a basketball IQ tonight that should solidify her as legend, and sheer play-making ability that is second to none.

Her stat line was incredible (22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) but it's how she attained those points that mattered most to the Mercury. Only taking 15 shots, Cappie took exactly what the defense gave her and knew when to pull it out for a jumper or the precise time to take it inside the lane to draw a foul. Whether it was a transition bucket, or simply an unrivaled 1 on 1 step-back jumper (no one does it better), Pondexter displayed a type of athleticism and fervor that has rarely been seen in this league.

"We had to come out and play Mercury basketball, which I think we did for 40 minutes," Cappie said. "We wanted to come out very positive with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor and attack. I think that was the key for us tonight."

Keep in mind, it wasn't exactly like Indiana let her have open looks. The Fever played great defense tonight; Cappie was just..well...better. She was double and triple teamed for the vast majority of the night and still was able to create good looks at the basket. Not only did she score, she knew exactly when to dish the ball out to her teammates (namely Tangela Smith and Penny Taylor) who converted her passes into points. Cappie was on the floor for 35 minutes of this game, and single-handily rose up and took complete control of the outcome. There was simply no way she was going to let the Mercury lose.

"I thought we did a great job on the perimeter attacking the defense, using the pick-and-roll," Cappie said after the game. "We know that Indiana has a great defense, especially that weak-side help, but we were looking to be aggressive from the beginning and I think we did a great job of that."

Cappie's game tonight was, in a word, legendary.

For those that may think I'm exaggerating, you must not have seen the game. Anyone that watched game 4 knows exactly what I'm talking about. Cappie's game tonight embodies what legends are made of. Not that this is new for Cappie by any means. She's had these types of games all year long. I remember interviewing her for SLAM earlier in the season when she was leading the league in scoring and assists and being in complete awe of her game.

Tonight, she proved to me that there was (amazingly) still a deeper level to her ability.

As I said above, this is the stuff that legends are made out of. The atmosphere in Indiana was absolutely electric. Anticipation of winning a championship at home permeated the entire arena. It would've been a legitimate excuse for the Mercury to come out and struggle. Instead, Cappie took charge from the get-go and wouldn't let that happen. Not every player can make a conscious decision like that and if they can, following through on that decision/thought is even more challenging. It's easy to freeze up and remain stagnant. Cappie, however, rose to the challenge and played (in my humble opinion) one of the best games of her career.

Games like tonight are what defines the true heart and character of a player. As John Wooden said, "basketball doesn't build character, it reveals it." 

Cappie Pondexter just revealed her true character to all of us, and proved to me she is a living legend.