With the arrival of the WNBA playoffs, the intense scope on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever has only magnified. Indiana may have gotten their postseason feet wet last Sunday, but they’ll need to change things up to avoid another 24-point defeat.
A Tough WNBA Postseason Debut
Of course, Clark and the Fever are tasked with playing the Connecticut Sun for the first round of the WNBA playoffs. In Game 1, the Sun gave Indiana a rude awakening, limiting Clark to only 11 points on 4 of 17 shooting. To compound frustrations, Clark made just two of her 13 three-point attempts.
It should be noted that Clark was poked in the eye by DiJonai Carrington relatively early on in Game 1. There was noticeable bruising around her orbital and Clark’s long-range shooting obviously suffered. Still, it should not be anything that lingers into Game 2.
Make no mistake—Connecticut absolutely deserves their flowers in 2024. They produced a 28-12 record over the regular season before trouncing Indiana in the playoff opener. Last weekend, the Sun were powered (solar power, perhaps?) by DeWanna Bonner and Marina Mabrey. For the winning difference, Mabrey dropped 27 points off the bench to lead all scorers Sunday.
Sun vs. Fever Game 2
With Game 2 between the Fever and Sun set for Wednesday (Sep. 25/ESPN) in Connecticut at 4:30 p.m. ET, all eyes will be on Uncasville’s Mohegan Sun Arena. I say this literally.
According to Front Office Sports, Fever-Sun Game 1 generated an averaged viewership of 1.8 million. When we compare that number to the other three WNBA playoff series openers, the average viewership was less than half.
With a grand stage set, Clark is hoping to have a bounce-back performance for the ages. I don’t anticipate her making major changes to her game tonight, as she shoots and facilitates the basketball arguably better than any current WNBA player. Notably, Clark has already broken numerous assist and three-point records after only one season as a professional.
For Game 2, Clark can be most effective by involving her most-trusted teammates, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. Mitchell and Boston contributed 38 combined points on Sunday, but further success for these two will create openings for Clark. Of course, Clark will need to find her trademark shooting rhythm early and often or risk elimination.
Putting It All On The Line
Since the WNBA first round is a best-of-three series, there is no tomorrow for Indiana should they lose on the road tonight.
Regardless of which sport, Clark produced one of the top rookie campaigns of all time. She broke the WNBA assist record for a single game (19) and a single season (337). Still, considering Clark’s competitiveness, I doubt any of those individual accolades will comfort her should the Fever be swept out of the playoffs.
Frankly, ESPN Analytics is not giving the Fever much of a chance tonight in Connecticut, leaving the Sun with a 76.6% winning probability. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Connecticut shows as a six-point favorite for Game 2 versus Indiana.
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