INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever's season ended Wednesday with a two-game playoff sweep in Connecticut. Even though the quest for a championship is over, there's optimism and excitement for what the team could do next year.
The Fever would have played the decisive Game 3 in their series versus the Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday if they won a game in Connecticut. Instead, Fever players and executives talked about their season in the WNBA spotlight.
"There are a lot of really good fans, whether they've been fans for 20 years or whether they're new fans in our league," said Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who was named the unanimous Associated Press Rookie of the Year. "Continuing to uplift this league in a very positive light is the best thing that we can do."
More than 300,000 fans watched the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season, a new WNBA single-season record.The team also reported a 1200% increase in jersey sales this year over last year and made their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Angela Fugler drove from Texas to Indiana to both visit her family and attend the Fever's playoff game if it happened. Even though the Fever did not play, she visited Gainbridge Fieldhouse to buy her share of team merchandise.
"I'm going to be lowkey driving around Texas with my Indiana Fever gear on," Fugler said. "I just feel like a little kid right now, I'm so happy."
Fever general manager Lin Dunn hopes the WNBA changes the playoff schedule structure next year so that every playoff team can have a chance to play at home.
"Our players deserved a chance to play at home. That's something the league has got to address," Dunn said. "When you earn a berth in the playoffs, you at least have earned one home game. I'm going to be campaigning to make sure this doesn't happen again. We deserved to have a home game. Our fans did."
The Fever finished the season with a regular season record of 20-20.
