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Caitlin Clark is looking forward to her first WNBA playoff game.
The Indiana Fever star discussed her anticipation ahead of the team’s first-round matchup with the Connecticut Sun.
“I feel excited,” she said on Saturday, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. “I think you can tell by just our vibe that everybody’s really fired up and just ready to start play.”
Clark’s impact on the team throughout her impressive rookie season has helped the Fever earn their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Indiana finished the regular season with a record of 20-20. The Fever were able to secure a spot in the postseason by finishing the year strong, winning 11 of their final 17 games.
Entering the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, Indiana is looking for an upset victory over the No. 3 Sun. Clark stressed the importance of staying loose in an intense atmosphere.
“You can’t get too tight; that’s not going to let you play good basketball,” she said, via Philippou. “I think that’s what’s brought us a lot of success here in the second half of the season, is the fun and energy that we play with and a light mood. So I think it’s good that you see everybody with that.”
“But at the same time, I feel like everybody’s approaching this as this is the playoffs,” Clark added. “This is very important to every single person on this team.”
She’s far from the only contributor for Indiana during the 2024 season, as forward Aliyah Boston and veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell both earned their second consecutive All-Star nods in July.
Clark’s individual production was unprecedented as a first-year player, setting a new single-season rookie record in total points as well as the new WNBA single-season assist record. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7/34.4/90.6 shooting splits.
The Fever will look to gain an early advantage in the best-of-three series against Connecticut on Sunday. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. ET.
