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The Indiana Fever are back in the WNBA playoffs after ending a seven-year drought, led by Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. The Fever will take on the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the postseason. But before that, let's look at the franchise's playoff history.
Indiana began playing in the WNBA in 2000 as an expansion team and failed to make the postseason in its first two seasons. The Fever drafted Tamika Catchings in 2001, but she was unable to play due to a torn ACL. She made her debut in the 2002 season and led the franchise to its first playoff appearance.
The Fever lost to the New York Liberty in the first round or the Eastern Conference semifinals that year. They would miss the postseason in the next two years before returning in 2005, marking the first of 12 straight playoff appearances, a WNBA record.
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From 2005 to 2016, the Indiana Fever didn't make it out of the first round just three times, in 2006, 2008 and 2016. They made it to the Conference Finals eight times and to the WNBA Finals three times, in 2009, 2012 and 2016. They lost to the Phoenix Mercury in five games in 2009.
The Fever won their first and only WNBA championship in 2012, beating the Minnesota Lynx in four games. Tamika Catchings won the WNBA Finals MVP following her performances in the series.
However, once Catchings retired following the 2016 season, the Fever missed the postseason for seven straight years, which finally ended this season after stellar play under coach Christie Sides.
Caitlin Clark came in with a lot of expectations, and there were some problems at the start of the campaign. However, the Indiana Fever got their rhythm two months into the season and finally played like a contender after the Olympic break.
Indiana Fever to face Connecticut Sun in first round of 2024 WNBA playoffs
The Indiana Fever locked into the No. 6 spot in the 2024 WNBA playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 20-20 record. The Fever will take on the third-seeded Connecticut Sun, who they faced four times this year and lost thrice.
Indiana's year started by facing the Sun twice in their first four games, including the season opener. The Fever lost the opener 92-71 in Connecticut before a hard-fought 88-84 defeat in the second matchup at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Fever were blown out again, 89-72, at the Mohegan Sun Arena before battling back in their final matchup of the season on Aug. 28. They finally beat the Sun 84-80, but it would still be a hard first-round series starting on Sept. 22.
The first two games of the series will be in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena. If the Fever can get one win on the road, Game 3 will be in Indianapolis, and they will have a chance to move on to the next round against the Minnesota Lynx or the Phoenix Mercury.
