After A Roller-Coaster Season, Can The Indiana Fever Make It To The Second Round?
Sep 15, 2025
The Indiana Fever's regular season has come to a close, and for the second straight year, they are headed to the WNBA playoffs. Now that they have clinched a spot in the first round, the next question is whether they can make it to the next round.
The road to the playoffs has been rather unkind to the Fever, a team that has had to deal with one season-ending injury after another in the last few weeks of the regular season. While the resilience of the Fever organization has been clearly demonstrated, there is less certainty when it comes to their fate when the postseason starts.
Which Fever Players Won't Suit Up for the Playoffs?
At the top of the injury list is superstar Caitlin Clark.
Last season, the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard captivated WNBA fans with her booming triples and dazzling assists, en route to capturing the Rookie of the Year award. Though her supporters would have loved to see more of her this year, the combination of quad and groin injuries limited the former MVP contender to just 13 games.
On top of Clark’s prolonged absence, a number of rotation players have also been ruled out for the rest of the season. On Aug. 7, the Fever lost both Sydney Colson (ACL) and Aari McDonald to injuries sustained in a game against the Phoenix Mercury. Ten days later, Sophie Cunningham (MCL) was also sidelined. Then, on Sept. 4, the Fever announced that Chloe Bibby (knee) would also be calling it a season.
Which Team Will Face Indiana in the Playoffs?
The Fever's playoff opponent was decided on the last day of the regular season. With the Golden State Valkyries' loss to the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces' victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana held onto the sixth seed and the Atlanta Dream fell to the third seed.
The Dream and the Fever split their season series 2-2 this year. Like Las Vegas, the Dream (bannered by the backcourt duo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard) has gotten themselves in great shape as the playoffs approach. Across the league, Atlanta is second in both offensive rating and defensive rating; they lead all teams in rebounding, and they're also third in assists.
Atlanta poses a formidable threat in the first round, and on top of this, Indiana's lack of depth and compromised chemistry will be working against them. The series could go the distance, but in the end, the more consistent Atlanta squad will likely prevail over the feisty Fever team.
