INDIANAPOLIS — It’s official: the Indiana FeverThe playoff drought will end at seven seasons.
THE Fever has officially clinched a playoff spot Chicago lost to Las Vegas And Atlanta Indiana lost to Phoenix on Tuesday night. Even if Indiana lost each of its last seven games, it would still be in the playoffs.
It’s the first time since 2016 that the Fever have clinched a playoff berth, and their seven seasons without a playoff appearance is the longest active drought in the WNBA and tied for the longest drought of all time (the Chicago Sky (he missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2013).
The Fever clinched a spot with seven games left in the season, a stark contrast to some past seasons where they were eliminated with that many (or more) games left. Indiana came close to the playoffs last year, but they were eliminated from the race with five games left in the season.
This will be Indiana’s first playoff appearance since Tamika Catchings, Indiana’s franchise player from 2002-16, retired. And it’s fitting that it comes in the first season the Fever potentially have a new franchise player in rookie Caitlin Clark.
Clark, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Fever in April after winning back-to-back national player of the year awards, has joined forces with the 2023 No. 1 overall pick Aliyah BostonChoice #2 2022 NaLyssa Smithand choice #2 in 2018 Kelsey Mitchell on the Fever. Indiana has been going through some tough times, which is typical for a young team with a new point guard. The grueling schedule didn’t help, as the Fever played 11 games in 19 days to start the season; they started the season with a 2-9 record.
The Fever are 15-7 since that first period and have recorded at least one win in 10 of their 11 league opponents, including the New York Liberty, The Connecticut SunAnd Minnesota Lynx. The only team the Fever have yet to beat this season is the The Aces of Las Vegas; they come to Indianapolis for a back-to-back game on September 11 and 13.
Clark has put up record-breaking numbers in her rookie season, averaging 18.7 points, 8.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. She recorded the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history earlier this season and currently leads the league in assists per game. She has already broken the rookie record for assists and is on pace to break the single-season assists record set last season by the Connecticut Sun. Alyssa Thomas.
Clark is unique in her ability to combine her skills as a playmaker and a scorer: Her 18.7 points per game rank second on the Fever (behind Mitchell) and ninth in the league. She is the point guard with the most double-doubles in a season in WNBA history, and all of those double-doubles have come with points and assists.
Mitchell, a seven-year veteran, has also played some of the best basketball of her career this season. She is on an active streak of seven straight games with 20-plus points, breaking a Fever franchise record. Her speed on the court has paired well with Clark’s intricate passing, making them a nearly unstoppable backcourt duo.
Led by Mitchell and Clark, the Fever are 6-1 since the Olympic break. Indiana is currently 17-16 — the first time it has been above .500 since 2019.
The Fever are 6th in the WNBA standings, so if the season ended today, the Fever would face the 3rd seed Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-3 series.
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever clinch first WNBA playoff berth since 2016
