The Indiana Fever had an incredible 2024 regular season as they went from being one of the league’s worst teams to a championship contender. This was much thanks to the No. 1 overall pick and star rookie Caitlin Clark, as she had one of the best rookie seasons that the league has ever seen. That said, despite being just the sixth seed, the Fever are viewed as a legitimate threat for the WNBA championship. The team has an All-Star trio in Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, which should scare any team they play. Furthermore, Clark shined in the postseason during her college career, which could also be the case in the WNBA. Her play down the stretch has been phenomenal, so it’s nowhere near impossible.
Even so, the WNBA made a post today that highlighted one area in which the Fever are at a serious disadvantage heading into the playoffs.
Being a very young team, it’s natural to have less playoff experience than the rest of the league. However, a 254-game difference is very drastic. Not that playoff experience is a necessity, but it’s very helpful to have experience playing under the brightest lights.
Being a very young team, it’s natural to have less playoff experience than the rest of the league. However, a 254-game difference is very drastic. Not that playoff experience is a necessity, but it’s very helpful to have experience playing under the brightest lights.
That said, as previously mentioned Clark shined in the postseason in college, averaging 30 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 7.7 RPG to go along with 1.7 steals per game in March Madness this year. Making it to the championship, she was outright phenomenal. Though it was college, she played in front of some of the biggest crowds the sport has seen, which is always one of the toughest aspects of playing in big moments.
The Fever will be looking for this version of Clark as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs, who happen to have the third-most postseason experience. Connecticut took three out of the four games they played this season, but the Fever won their last matchup in August 84-80. Both Clark and Mitchell posted 19 or more points in that game, which will be a huge key to look at in their meeting on Sunday. Their first playoff meeting is on Sunday at 3:00 PM ET. While Clark has been a one-woman-show at times, her surrounding pieces in Boston and Mitchell could be the deciding factor. Hopefully they can both pull through, and add to an already historic season for Clark.
