The Indiana Fever shocked the Atlanta Dream within the winner-take-all Sport 3 of their first-round collection on Thursday to advance to the semifinals for the primary time since 2015. There, they’re going to tackle A’ja Wilson and the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces, who snuck previous the Seattle Storm in Sport 3 of their matchup. Sport 1 is Sunday.
Fever star Caitlin Clark, nevertheless, won’t be in motion for Sport 1 in Las Vegas or at any level within the collection. The second-year star is ineligible to return within the playoffs this yr no matter how far the Fever go.
Even when Clark had been to be deemed totally wholesome by the group’s medical workers sooner or later whereas the Fever are nonetheless alive within the postseason, she was left off the group’s energetic roster for the playoffs, a league supply confirmed to CBS Sports activities. The Indy Star first reported that Clark was not on the energetic playoff roster.
Clark handled a collection of lower-body accidents this season — left quad, left groin, proper groin and left ankle — which restricted her to 13 appearances and compelled her to overlook each the Commissioner’s Cup championship and All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. She final performed on July 15, and although the group gave her each alternative to recuperate, she ultimately ran out of time. On Sept. 5, she introduced that she wouldn’t return to play.
Caitlin Clark’s injury-plagued sophomore season was a catastrophe for the WNBA, the Fever and herself
Jack Maloney
“I had hoped to share a greater replace, however I can’t be returning to play this season,” Clark wrote on social media. “I spent hours within the health club every single day with the singular aim of getting again on the market, dissatisfied is not a sufficiently big phrase to explain how I’m feeling.
“I need to thank everybody who had my again by all of the uncertainty. This has been extremely irritating, however even within the dangerous, there may be good. The best way the followers continued to point out up for me, and for the Fever, introduced me a lot pleasure and necessary perspective. I’m so happy with how this group has solely gotten stronger by adversity this yr. Now it is time to shut out the season and declare our spot within the playoffs.”
Even when Clark was on the ground, she was not 100% and infrequently appeared like herself. Although she nonetheless averaged 16.5 factors, 5 rebounds and eight.8 assists, she shot simply 36.7% from the sphere, together with 27.9% from 3-point vary. Notably, she had three video games with no made 3, snapping a 140-game streak relationship again to her sophomore season at Iowa, and shot 2 of 35 from 3 on the street.
Whereas the Fever had championship expectations getting into the season, nobody anticipated them to be one of many final 4 groups standing after they misplaced 5 gamers, together with Clark, to season-ending accidents. Chloe Bibby (knee), Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Sophie Cunningham (torn MCL) and Aari McDonald (damaged foot) all additionally went down over the previous few months.
