Millions of viewers tuned into Caitlin Clark's debut with the Indiana Fever, and fans quickly realized the difference between the WNBA and college as the Sun cruised to a 92-71 win. Indiana lost its first five games of the season before it beat Los Angeles, a team that's since been eliminated from playoff contention.
The adjustment for Clark wasn't as "easy" as many fans thought it would be. She dominated at Iowa, so she'd immediately dominate in Indiana, right? It took her a few months, but she and the Fever have since hit their stride.
Indiana is 8-4 since returning from the post-Olympic break. The Fever clinched a playoff seed for the first time since 2016. At the beginning of the season, it looked like Indiana would be in contention for Paige Bueckers, not the 2024 title. Oh, how things have changed.
The Fever will likely face the Sun or Lynx in the first round of the playoffs. It won't be easy for Indiana to upset either team, but not impossible. Indiana is playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time and is the kind of sneaky team opponents shouldn't want to face.
Will Caitlin Clark and the Fever manage to do the unthinkable?
The Liberty are the favorites to win the 2024 championship. New York has easily been the hottest team in the league. Las Vegas has struggled, but you can never rule A'ja Wilson out. The Aces could win back-to-back-to-back titles.
As remarkable as Clark has been (subscription required), it'd take a lot for the Fever to win their second title. Indiana is a young team that doesn't have much playoff experience, but even then, you can't cross the Fever's name out.
Clark hasn't led the Fever this far on her own. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game on 46.2% shooting from the field and 39.7% from three. Aliyah Boston is averaging 14.1 points and a career-best 9.1 rebounds per game. Lexie Hull is shooting 49.3% from three!
Indiana looks the exact opposite team than the one that showed up in the first half of the 2024 season. The Fever should be everyone's favorite to pull off a postseason upset. If Clark and Indiana do the unthinkable and hang another banner, there will need to be individual statues of each Fever player outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Watch out for Clark and that pesky Indiana squad!