Caitlin Clark offers tips for success in the playoffs, but the sports commentator highlights the Fever's weaknesses in favour of the Sun and the risk of being defeated by this tactical reason: (PO)

Caitlin Clark knows that she will have to be at her best as she prepares for her first-ever postseason campaign. Eight WNBA teams have battled through the 40-game regular season to earn their place in the knockout rounds. The Indiana Fever face a talented and seasoned Connecticut Sun side in the first round and Clark knows that nothing will come easy.

ESPN commentator Ryan Ruocco expects Clark to step up to the challenge for this tricky matchup but believes there is one area where the Sun hold a significant advantage.

“She and Indiana are going up againt a Connecticut team that has unbelievable playoff experience and playoff success,” said Ruocco. “I think you have to give them a little edge in the series because of that.”

Prior to this season, the Fever missed out on the playoffs for seven straight campaigns and have not won a playoff series since 2015. Indiana’s roster as a whole has combined for just 19 postseason games. Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, Lexie Hull, who are regular starters on this Fever side, have never played a postseason game.

Indiana also has one of the youngest starting lineups in the league. Clark, 22, is still a rookie and has featured in just 40 professional games in her career so far. Boston, Smith and Hull are 22 years old, 24 years old and 25 years old respectively. The 28-year-old Mitchell is the senior member of the starting five, but has never experienced a playoff atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Sun have qualified for the postseason for seven consecutive seasons. They have retained the core members of the team that went all the way to the WNBA semifinals in 2023.

The Fever are in tremendous form going into the playoffs but it will be interesting to see how this young group handles playing an experienced Sun team in a hostile environment.

Caitlin Clark will look to bring the Indiana Fever their first playoff win in nine years

The Indiana Fever have not won a playoff series since they defeated the New York Liberty 2-1 back in 2015. They enter the series against the Connecticut Sun as slight underdogs but with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark in stunning form, many analysts believe they have a fighting chance.

Clark has just completed one of the greatest rookie seasons in WNBA history. The 22-year-old led the league in assists with 8.4 per game and ranked seventh in points per game with 19.2.

The Iowa native recently broke the WNBA’s single-season assists record, surpassing Alyssa Thomas’ previous record of 317. On July 17, she secured the record for most assists in a game after logging 19 against the Dallas Wings.

Caitlin Clark holds the rookie record for scoring in a single season and three-pointers made. She is also the only rookie in league history to record a triple-double, achieving the feat twice in the 2024 season.