What has already been a historic year in 2024 for guard Caitlin Clark got even better on Wednesday as the Indiana Fever qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It ended the franchise's seven-season playoff drought, which was tied for the longest in WNBA history.
Clark, the top pick in the draft and the favorite for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, and the Fever made the postseason despite not playing Tuesday. That was thanks to Las Vegas' 90-71 win over Chicago and Phoenix's 74-66 victory over Atlanta.
Indiana, which moved to 17-16 on Sunday and has its first winning record since June 2019, is in sixth place in the WNBA, which sends eight teams to the playoffs.
Seven of the spots are already clinched, as Phoenix (17-17) also earned a spot Tuesday after missing the postseason last year for the first time since 2012. Chicago and Atlanta, both 11-22, are battling for the final spot with Washington, which beat Dallas 90-86 on Tuesday and is 10-23.
New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Las Vegas and Seattle had already earned their spots in the postseason.
Earlier this year, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history and cruised to her second straight national championship to finish her career at Iowa. She then joined 2023 No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston at Indiana.
Since the Fever's first media day in May, Clark has talked about the team's main goal this season: making the playoffs for the first time since franchise legend Tamika Catchings ended her career in 2016.
Before the drought, the Fever had made the playoffs 12 straight years, including the 2012 WNBA championship. But in five of the past seven seasons, the Fever have had single-digit win totals. Attendance plummeted in 2022, when Indiana went 5-31.
Under first-year coach Christie Sides and with the addition of South Carolina star Boston last year, the Fever improved to 13-27. The Fever then won the draft lottery again and landed Clark.
Boston, Clark and two No. 2 picks, Kelsey Mitchell (2018, Ohio State) and NaLyssa Smith (2022, Baylor), have been Indiana’s starting core this season. The Fever got off to a rough start with a 1-8 record but then found their footing. They were 11-15 at the Olympic break and are 6-1 since WNBA play resumed.
Mitchell leads Indiana in scoring (19.0), followed by Clark (18.7), Boston (13.4) and Smith (11.1). Clark leads the WNBA in assists (8.4) and Boston (9.0) ranks in the top 10 in the league in rebounding.
Indiana has seven games remaining, six of them at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, beginning Wednesday against Los Angeles. The Fever have led the WNBA in attendance this season, with big crowds both home and away.
The Fever are only the second team in WNBA history to make the playoffs after starting the season with a 1-8 record or worse. The Charlotte Sting, who disbanded after the 2006 season, made the WNBA Finals in 2001 after starting the season with a 1-8 record, losing there to Los Angeles.
