It’s chaos in Indiana, and fans are living through a rollercoaster of frustration. Now, nothing will ever top the heartbreak of watching Tyrese tear his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but the Fever’s current troubles are proving to be a different kind of nightmare. In just one week, the team has lost three key players, with Sophie Cunningham the latest entry, leaving fans shaking their heads and feeling downright helpless.

It’s been 13 games since Caitlin Clark last took the court for the Fever, and the wait has been nothing short of painful for the fans. It’s looking more and more likely that Clark won’t return this season. But the misery hasn’t stopped there. In a single game against the Mercury, the Fever lost their entire backcourt depth. Both Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson went down with season-ending injuries. And if it wasn’t enough…

On Sunday against the Connecticut Sun, it was Sophie Cunningham’s turn. She left the court in tears early in the second quarter, clutching her knee. The full extent of her injury is still unknown, but with the Fever’s recent streak of bad luck, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s sidelined for the rest of the season too. That’s the fourth major blow for the Fever this month alone!

“‘This is the season from hell.’ I’ve told you guys that I feel like there is somebody, some enemy out there who has a voodoo doll of the Indiana Fever players and is just relentlessly stabbing these voodoo dolls because it seems like they just cannot catch a break, especially when it comes to injuries,’” Rachel DeMita said on the latest episode of Courtside Club, perfectly capturing the frustration and heartbreak of Fever fans.

Fans have since taken to social media to express their frustration and sadness over how the Fever’s season has unfolded. Let’s take a look at some of their reactions.

Fans React to Sophie Cunningham Joining the Fever Injury List

“Absolutely heartbroken for the Fever and everyone on that team who have dealt with so many injuries and can’t seem to catch a break. I know a lot of people like to critique Steph white but it gets to a point where what can she do? The physical and mental toll this can take on the players is almost a given at this point,” one fan wrote, perfectly summing up the brutal reality of the Fever’s season so far after Cunningham got injured.

This season was meant to be the one where Caitlin Clark would etch her name in history as the first player since Tamika Catchings to deliver a championship for Indiana. But instead, the Fever have faced setback after setback. Big signing DeWanna Bonner already walked away from the franchise, citing “fit issues,” and linked up with the Phoenix Mercury. And then, of course, there’s the never-ending list of injuries.

Caitlin Clark has only been able to suit up for 13 games this season, battling through three separate injuries. On top of that, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson are both out for the season, leaving the Fever’s backcourt depth stretched to the limit. With roughly a month of basketball left, the team brought in Odyssey Sims and Kyra Lambert as replacements, but it’s hard not to wonder if the Fever’s season is already slipping away. Can the new signings really gel with the team this quickly? Sims had a solid showing against the Sun, scoring 19 points and dishing out 7 assists, but that came against the league’s worst team.

And to make matters worse, no one really knows when – or if – Caitlin Clark will return this season. Insider Scott Agness all but confirmed that Clark might not play again in the regular season. “Have patience. At least several more weeks,” the Fever beat reporter said, hinting at the severity of her injury. The team is clearly hurting when it comes to guard depth. “I’ve certainly seen bad injury luck before. But I don’t know how many times I’ve seen specifically a guard core be decimated like the Fever’s has this season,” said Tyler DeLuca on X following the injury to Sophie Cunningham.

With both Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson sidelined, Sophie Cunningham had been tasked with running the point. Now that she’s out injured as well, the Fever’s guard depth is effectively reduced to just Kelsey Mitchell and the two new signings. So it’s easy to see why Tyler DeLuca wonders if any team has ever faced a crisis like this before.

Well, NBA teams have faced similar situations. Take Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets, for example. Like the Fever, they were pegged as a championship-contending squad after acquiring Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. But injuries took their toll, and the Big Three could suit up together for only 16 games. A fan even pointed out that WNBA teams have had similar struggles, showing that injury crises aren’t unique to Indiana.

Another fan pointed to a WNBA team facing a similar nightmare this season: the Seattle Storm. They wrote, “I just said the same thing… my heart breaks for the players… So many injuries this year, but Indy and Storm guards got the worst of it (though Storm players got hurt in the W off-season).”

Yes, the Storm faced quite a few injury issues during the off-season this year. They lost forward Jordan Horston, forward Katie Lou Samuelson, and guard Nika Muhl for the entire season due to ACL injuries. Such injuries are becoming increasingly common in women’s sports. Science shows that women’s knees naturally have more looseness and range of motion, and combined with less muscle mass around the joint, this makes ligament tears more likely. The silver lining? For the Storm, these injuries happened before the season began, giving them enough time to find proper replacements.

That said, the Fever have done an incredible job this season despite all the injury setbacks. Stephanie White deserves huge credit for guiding the team to a WNBA Commissioners Cup win and helping them finish with a 19-16 record, which is currently good enough for 6th place and a playoff spot. One fan perfectly captured the sentiment: “THIS. We have a great team, a really great team and the @WNBA didn’t give a fuck about protecting our player, the complete opposite actually.”

The WNBA’s struggles to protect players have been a recurring theme this season, especially for the Indiana Fever. Sophie Cunningham herself has been fined twice for speaking out about the officials, and after her knee injury on Sunday, her sister voiced her frustration on Twitter: “@WNBA, maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more on hiring officials who can call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you @sophaller🙏🏼❤️.” Many in the community feel that Cunningham’s injury could have been avoided if the officials had done their job properly.

Lastly, one fan thinks the Fever should just embrace tank mode given all the injuries. “Sophie Cunningham went down grabbing her right leg and seems to be in a lot of pain. Just tank for the rest of the season, man,” they said. But honestly, tanking doesn’t make sense for the Fever right now. With Kelsey Mitchell putting up historic numbers, the playoffs are still very much within reach. Plus, teams like the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun are already looking to tank, and the Chicago Sky’s poor form gives the Minnesota Lynx a chance at a lottery pick. That means a top lottery pick for the Fever isn’t even guaranteed, so giving up now would be pointless.