Fever’s Playoff Run Shows They Can Win Without Caitlin Clark Yet Her Absence Casts Shadow — Insider

When CC got injured for the first time, she knew she had to step off. This left Indy to push forward with the roster they had. But as the Fever says, “the next woman stands up,” Kelsey Mitchell did. She shared the motto once the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles used during their Super Bowl-winning season: “All we got, all we need.” Ever since, the Fever never stopped until a playoff berth was secured.

When Robin Lundberg learned about the Fever’s playoff berth and Caitlin Clark’s season-ending injury, he couldn’t help but offer his perspective. What’s better than his own YouTube channel? So, he uploaded a new video on September 8 wherein he shared: “So, you know, the Fever are locked into at least the seventh seed now, which right now would be the Las Vegas Aces in the first round, if things held the way they are…. And, you know, you give them, in a short series, do they have a chance? Perhaps.”

Well, that’s huge. When Indy started off this season, they were predicted to be a “championship contender.” The 2024 Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, led the squad, coached by Stephanie White, who envisioned a win. But, as the season unfolded, the hopes began to shatter. Not only was CC limited to just 13 games throughout the season, but the injury list was never-ending. At first, it was CC, then Syd and Sophie. Shortly after, CC was out again due to a left groin injury. While she played a couple of games, before she could play the historic All-Star Game with Team Clark, she was out on July 15. Then, she never came back, and just three days ago, it was officially confirmed she was out for the season.

But, through it all, the Fever squad never lost hope. As Robin puts it better, “But the Fever season continued. Like so to make it through all that is a testament to everybody on that squad, everybody in the locker room, the culture that they’ve built. And again, the head coach and the coaching staff. And then the stars.”

They went on to first defeat the Sky and then the Mystics. But the real statement came in a 94–65 rout of Washington, where five players scored in double figures. And they are back in the postseason for a second straight year, marking their first set of consecutive playoff trips since the franchise’s remarkable 12-year streak from 2005 through 2016. So, even with five players sidelined, Indy battled its way to a 23–20 record, a reminder that resilience never comes easy. And a reminder of exactly why Robin called them heavy underdogs. 

As Aliyah Boston put it in a postgame press conference after a win over the Washington Mystics, “You never doubt yourself and what you’re capable of, no matter what happens. I think the entire staff, up to the head, just made great decisions when people went down on who to bring in, the type of people to bring in”.

The Fever kept pushing forward under Stephanie White’s mantra of taking it one game at a time. However, from the moment she took over, the head coach seemed prepared, building a roster designed to ease the pressure on her stars. So when Caitlin Clark went down for the first time, she already had a plan in place.

That plan was to lean on Sydney Colson at point guard with Sophie Cunningham as her backup. But fate intervened, and both players suffered injuries in a matchup against the Sun before the approach could take shape fully. With the roster stretched thin, the Fever turned to Aari McDonald. Signed on a hardship contract, McDonald wasted no time proving her value. Eager to contribute, she studied film, adapted quickly, and seamlessly found her role within the team.

“It was a lot of film, a lot of film sessions by myself, just rewatching stuff, and a lot of film with [assistant coach Austin Kelly], just asking questions… So [I was trying to] just be a sponge these last couple of days, and I think that’s helped me tonight,” she shared after her first-ever game with the Fever.

And ever since, there was no slowing down. Indy even went on a winning streak—and how could you forget the Commissioner’s Cup title win against the league’s top team, the Minnesota Lynx? But then CC came back, and Aari had to go. Though the Indiana Fever standout didn’t get to play much and was sidelined again, this time, DeWanna Bonner was absent from the roster, too. “Personal reasons”—that’s exactly what her status read at the time.

Soon, she was waived off, and Aari was back on a permanent contract. Later, CC also made a comeback, but adversities didn’t end. In just one month, CC got injured twice, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Sophie Cunningham, too, went down with season-ending injuries.

Just as fans began to feel some momentum, even from the players signed on hardship contracts, Chloe Bibby, later brought on full-time, was sidelined with a knee injury that ended her season. Soon after came the bigger blow: Caitlin Clark, despite holding out hope for a comeback, was officially ruled out for the rest of the year.

So this was how the Fever’s run has been throughout the season. But what kept them strong was being together. “And that was really our mindset. We never doubted ourselves. We never doubted that we could be in the playoffs, even if things looked like it got harder for us. It was about sticking together,” Aliyah added.

And yes, they never looked back until a playoff berth was clinched. The roster, sometimes as short as eight players, had defeated every team across the W except for the Golden State Valkyries. So when MVP candidate Mitchell declares Indy as “the most resilient team” she’s ever been part of, it hits in bittersweet waves.

“Certainly for the fans, it must be exhausting. For the players, imagine how exhausting that entire ordeal is. But they’re still standing. They’re still standing. They’re still standing. And you gotta give them credit. Not even coming down to the final game of the season. Not even the eighth seed,” applauded Robin.

All thanks to their resilient team—Natasha Howard secured 17 points, Aliyah Boston had 12 points with 11 rebounds, and Aerial Powers added 15 points to fuel the Fever’s win against Washington. But while the playoff berth is clinched, the race hasn’t been completed yet. Indy’s playoff seed depends upon a lot of other factors, some in their control and some not. They’re most likely to face either the Atlanta Dream or the Las Vegas Aces for the first game. And Lundberg is a bit doubtful. Well, no one can help but think of the heights the team could have reached with Clark’s presence.

“And I say that as somebody who, I’m bummed about Clark because of how good I know Clark is. And what the ceiling of this team could be. Imagine if Sophie and Caitlin were available for the playoffs, even with some of the other stuff that had gone down in the midst of it. So you get that what could have been feeling, and you also get that what was lost feeling.” Lundberg had also said.

However, now it’s time for the ultimate test. And the roster must prove that they can win against top teams without Clark and put a stop to all the what-ifs.

A championship win is within reach!

While Indy is short of Caitlin Clark, the team still has four stars who’ve been with them since Day 1 of the 2025 season: Lexie Hull, a playmaking replacement, Aliyah Boston, MVP candidate Kelsey Mitchell, and Natasha Howard. Both AB and Mitchell are already putting up career-high averages in points.

Kels is up for the MVP title this season as she even delivered a 38-point game. AB, meanwhile, has been the most affected by injuries this season. She had to take over multiple positions to fit among the existing roster. But these two aren’t the only standout players on the roster.

For Hull, her strength is a spotlight. We’ve already seen how she got raccoon eyes and still played through. Even she’s putting up career highs in both 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Even Howard, a three-time WNBA champion, has the hands-on experience that will guide the Fever in their postseason run. Then there’s the duo of Sims and Powers, combining for 55 postseason games. So, even for the playoffs, Indy is hopeful to go on an incredible run!