The Indiana Fever did not play on Tuesday night, but it was still a big night for the proud franchise. Due to losses by the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream, the Fever officially clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016, ending the longest active drought in the league.
For nearly a decade, the Fever have been the laughing stock of the league.
From 2017-2023, they went 58-174 with zero playoff appearances, and finished in last place three times. They won six or fewer games in four of those seasons, and the only time they didn't reach the 20-loss mark is when the 2020 season was shortened to 22 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In three consecutive years from 2021-23, they selected a player in the lottery who would be waived in less than two seasons.
Their luck finally changed with the 2023 WNBA Draft, when they won the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history and selected Aliyah Boston. She helped the team go 13-27 last season and win more games than they did in 2021 and 2022 combined. The lottery luck continued with the 2024 draft, as they once again got the first pick, which they used on Caitlin Clark.
The rookie phenom, who has broken countless records, and is averaging 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and a league-leading 8.4 assists, has revitalized the franchise, both on and off the court. Together with Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, she has turned the Fever into the team no one else wants to face in the playoffs. Since the Olympic break, the Fever have the best record (6-1), best offensive rating (111.0), and third-best net rating (plus-9.0) in the league.
Thanks to their hot streak, the Fever have overtaken the Phoenix Mercury for the No. 6 seed. They are now half a game ahead of the Mercury and own the tiebreaker between the clubs, which means they should be the favorites to finish sixth. That would almost certainly set up a first-round playoff matchup with either the Connecticut Sun or Minnesota Lynx, who are currently locked in a tight battle for second place.