The Big Lead

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever Going to the WNBA Playoffs

The Fever have qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016.

By Evan Bleier

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark walks off the floor during a game against the Chicago Sky.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark walks off the floor during a game against the Chicago Sky. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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Losers of five straight games to start the season and eight of their first nine, the Indiana Fever did not look like a very good basketball team despite drafting back-to-back National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark at No. 1 overall before the season tipped off.

Stumbling to start the season, the Fever have righted the ship in recent weeks and made it above. 500 for the first time in five years on Sunday with a 100-93 win over the Dallas Wings behind 28 points and 12 assists from Clark, who was coming off a career-high 31 points in a win over the Sky.

The Fever, who improved to 17-16 with the victory, had gone a WNBA-record 189 straight games without a winning record, according to ESPN. Dormant since the victory, Indiana hit another milestone on Tuesday despite not playing.

Thanks to Las Vegas' 90-71 victory over Chicago and Phoenix's 74-66 win against Atlanta yesterday evening, Clark and the Fever have qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016, ending the franchise's seven-season playoff drought (tied for the longest in WNBA history).

Currently in sixth place in the WNBA, which sends eight teams to the playoffs, the Fever play six of their last seven games at home in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana, starting Wednesday against Los Angeles. If the season ended today, the Fever would take on the third-seeded Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-three series.

A favorite for Rookie of the Year as well as a fringe MVP candidate in her first year as a pro, Clark could boost her young legacy even further by leading the Fever to a win in a playoff series during her freshman WNBA campaign.

According to ESPN's Michael Voepel, there's certainly a chance it can happen. "A semifinal appearance is a possibility, because of how difficult the Fever's offense can be to stop and how they've improved defensively," he writes. "The Fever have been waiting since 2016 to get back to the postseason. Once they're past the initial excitement, though, they can focus on competing. Indiana has defeated every team except Las Vegas at least once this season."

The Fever may see Vegas again as they're currently in the No. 4 seed in the postseason standings.