UNCASVILLE, Conn. — As Caitlin Clark go, then go Indiana Fever. It was true throughout a remarkable regular season of the joy of beginners, of exhilarating success and of unexpected triumph.
This was also true on Sunday afternoon, when the harsh reality of the The WNBA Playoffs crashed into a Fever starting five that had never played a second playoff game before taking the court for Game 1 against the formidable and seasoned The Connecticut Sun.
For Clark, the day started off fabulously. She finished fourth in the WNBA voting for most valuable player, an award she won in fitting fashion and unanimously endorsed by Las Vegas star A’ja WilsonClark also received three Associated Press honors: Rookie of the Year, unanimously; All-WNBA First Team and All-Rookie Team.
So the morning was great for Clark. The afternoon, not so much.
In a Defeat 93-69 in the sun, Clark received a black eyeliterally and figuratively. Stung in the right eye in the first 90 seconds of the game by the Sun DiJonai CarringtonClark ended up with a pretty bad black eye. It was reasonable to wonder if that had something to do with her 4-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-13 from three-point range, but she quickly put that theory to rest after the game.
“Obviously I got hit pretty hard in the eye. I don’t think it affected me, honestly, I felt like I made some good shots but they didn’t go in. Obviously it was a tough time for that to happen. I had some really good chances. I had a couple of pretty open three-pointers in the first half, like you usually do,” Clark said.
“So it’s tough, but I felt like I fought and did my best, took care of the ball better than usual (she matched her season low with two turnovers), which is positive.”
Clark said the fever was still there until things got out of hand at the end, when the relentless sun poured its assault on the finish.
“Like coach (Christie Sides) said in the locker room, we were down three points in the first quarter, down five (plus) points in the second quarter, then down three (plus) points in the third quarter. We were sitting there, and we felt like we just played a crappy game, like the flow of the game was really bad,” she said.
GAME 1 SUMMARY: Fever, Clark struggle in playoff loss to Sun
But when it came to her eye, she was very clear: “It didn’t bother me. Obviously, I didn’t feel much good when it happened. But that’s the way it is.”
As they prepared for this best-of-three series, the Fever said they were hopeful their youthful exuberance could prevail. They were encouraged by what had worked over the past month, a Clark-fueled adrenaline rush that led to a 9-5 post-Olympics record, including an 84-80 win over Connecticut in Indianapolis on Aug. 28. Clark and teammate Kelsey Mitchell finished the summer on a high note, with a supporting cast rising to the occasion time and again, including magnificent plays from Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull, among others.
Could this be the formula for success in a short series against a much more experienced opponent? Connecticut players entered Sunday’s game having played a combined 222 playoff games. The Fever’s entire roster had played just 19.
WNBA PLAYOFFS PREDICTIONS: Will the Fever progress and will the Aces repeat?
The answer to that question became clear as the game went on: Not that day. Connecticut was just too physical, just too good. Clark finished with 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Sun coach Stephanie White decided to change things up after losing that August game to Indiana, putting veteran DeWanna Bonner (6-4) over Clark (6-0).
“This game is a lot about comfort, rhythm, timing, all of that,” White said. “How do you make an adjustment that disrupts some of that? … Kudos to (Bonner) for taking on that challenge. It gave us a different perspective on the game and I really liked that.”
Connecticut is now just one win away from clinching the series and eliminating the Fever, while Indiana needs a Game 2 victory here on Wednesday to force a decisive Game 3 in Indiana on Friday.
In the Fever camp, optimism was high. “These guys are going to shoot a lot better on Wednesday,” Sides said, “and that’s going to make a huge difference.”
With a total of one playoff game under their belt, Clark and her teammates will do the only thing they can do in this series. They’ll get right back to work.
Editor’s Note: Christine Brennan is writing a book about Caitlin Clark and the revolution in women’s sports to be published by Scribner in spring/summer 2025.
Follow Christine Brennan on social media @cbrennansports
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark has rough WNBA playoff debut as Sun upsets Fever
