When 11,183 fans packed into CFG Bank Arena, they weren’t just expecting a game; they were expecting a fight for survival. The Washington Mystics had already bested Caitlin Clark & co. twice this season, and history suggested another nail-biter was on the cards. True to form, the matchup opened as a tug-of-war, featuring six lead changes and seven ties. Then, with 3:21 left in the first half, Shey Peddy drilled a momentum-shifting three-pointer that put Indiana up 37-34. From that moment, the Fever never let go of the lead.

And why would they? With postseason dreams on the line, head coach Stephanie White wasn’t about to gamble. When the final buzzer sounded, the Fever (23-20) officially clinched back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in nearly a decade. The achievement was even sweeter considering they lost five players, including reigning ROTY Caitlin Clark, to season-ending injuries.  

For the first time in franchise history, the Fever reached 23 wins in a single season, thanks to the 44-game season, the longest in league history. Their previous high mark was 22-12 wins, which they set in 2009 and then again in 2012. Just last year, Indiana scraped together a .500 campaign at 20-20. Now, they’re riding into the postseason not only with a winning record but also with the confidence of a team that finally looks ready to compete at the top. This win was the perfect embodiment of Kelsey Mitchell’s motto of ‘all we got, all we need’.

However, there was one moment from the celebrations that raised doubts in the Fever faithful’s minds.

Clark remained in the locker room while the team celebrated, but she seemed to be rather distant from the festivities. A video captured by Aliyah Boston showed Clark sitting off to the side, at her locker, focused on her phone. There is, in all likelihood, nothing ‘too’ telling about this moment. It is, simply, a tiny slice of an ordinary moment. However, that did have fans reminiscing about last season, the sweet taste of achievements after years and years of waiting. And it did have them stuck at one fact that shone through glaringly. Understandable.

This turnaround of the Fever didn’t happen overnight. Caitlin Clark stepped onto the scene in 2024, and her arrival reignited the franchise and ended its long playoff drought. And this year, instead of easing into a slow rebuild, Indiana tore up the blueprint and went bold. They restructured the front office with Kelly Krauskopf and Amber Cox, brought Stephanie White back to the sidelines, and stacked the roster with experienced names like Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham. The Fever’s intent was clear: they were done rebuilding, they wanted to contend.

The vision showed early promise when Indiana opened the season with a 35-point demolition of the Chicago Sky. Championship chatter quickly surrounded the team, but injuries soon tested their depth and resolve. Despite losing stars along the way, the Fever steadied the ship. But there is a greater threat looming over Indiana’s head. And worry has started to build in the hearts of the Indiana Fever fans.

That brief moment in the video captured the stark reality for the playoffs: just as Clark sat quietly at her locker, she’ll be in the stands. Absent, unable to steer the team on the court. And just like that, optimism among fans took a huge hit.

Indiana Fever fans prepared for the worst in the absence of Caitlin Clark

The playoffs haven’t even tipped off yet, and some Fever fans are already sounding the alarm without Clark. “Without CC…,” one fan wrote, signaling skepticism over the longevity of Fever’s postseason push. This sentiment was supported by a fellow Indiana fan. They wrote, “And no CC for the playoffs…” along with a facepalm emoji. But why are Indiana fans afraid of the Fever’s fate in the playoffs despite sitting in seventh spot currently? That’s because some shakeups are bound to happen in the leaderboards.

Indiana heads into its regular-season finale against the Minnesota Lynx, still waiting to see where it lands in the bracket. At 23-20, the Fever can finish no worse than seventh, thanks to their edge in the tiebreaker over Seattle. That also locks in something fans haven’t seen since 2016: Indiana will get to host at least one postseason game. With this 7th seed, the worst has been avoided for some time. They won’t have to face off against the dominant Lynx in the very first round. Still, the road ahead isn’t going to be all roses.

Signaling the worst, a fan penned down, “Caitlin Clark quit & isn’t coming back, the Fever gonna get stomped in the playoffs.” Indiana’s playoff path will almost certainly run through either Las Vegas or Atlanta, as both teams are poised to lock down the second and third seeds ahead of Phoenix. That sets up a likely Fever matchup against one of the league’s powerhouses. Still, Indiana has reason to believe it can hold its own. Even with a battered roster, the Fever claimed the Commissioner’s Cup midseason and proved their mettle by taking at least one game from each of their potential first-round foes.

Facing the Aces, though, might be an entirely different challenge this time around. After hitting rock bottom with the league’s worst home defeat against Minnesota, Las Vegas flipped the script. They’ve rattled off 13 straight victories since then, capped by a statement win over those same Lynx, and in the process set a new franchise record for consecutive wins.

“No CC….No Chance. Getting throttled by the Lynx,” a fan wrote on X. And their worries are justified. The Fever may have celebrated their first-ever Commissioner’s Cup title without Clark, but the numbers show just how much she tilts the floor in Indiana’s favor. With Clark in the lineup, they went 8-5 and posted a dominant +9.1 net rating, the kind of efficiency that belongs to a contender. Without her, they’ve been far more ordinary, splitting games 15-15 and slipping to just a +1.3 net rating.

The playoff math isn’t kind either. Indiana heads into the postseason with roughly a 34 percent chance to advance, a 14 percent shot at reaching the Finals, and only a 3 percent chance of lifting the trophy. By contrast, the Las Vegas Aces look solid with about a 63% chance of moving forward, but the real surprise is Atlanta. Despite sharing the same record as Vegas and coming off a less flashy month, the Dream actually sit ahead of both, holding a 72.4% likelihood of punching their ticket to the semifinals. So, Aces or the Dream, nothing is going to be easy.

The WNBA’s opening round is always unpredictable in a best-of-three format, but for Indiana, the ceiling looks capped without Caitlin Clark on the floor, at least per the oddsmakers. They aren’t optimistic at all. Caesars lists the Fever at +20000, the longest title odds of any team in the playoff mix.

Some fans, however, found a positive outlook amid this crisis, too. “In the Caitlin Clark era, the Indiana Fever have never missed the playoffs. My GOAT is injured, but” shared a GIF that read out, “I’m leaving here with somethin” highlighting the positive impact of Clark on the roster. It’s still possible they could jump the Golden State Valkyries for the number 6 seed. But they will need to win their final game on Tuesday against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx while hoping the Valkyries lose their final two games against Seattle and Minnesota.

Fans have already prepared for the worst with Caitlin Clark out for the season. But they are still hopeful the team moves forward in the postseason. For that, however, Lady Luck should be on their side of the court.