For as a lot as Caitlin Clark has introduced consideration to the WNBA — and she or he’s actually had nice success doing that to this point — she has struggled to deliver wins to the Fever. Friday’s win over the Sparks, which included some dagger 3-pointers from Clark, was the primary victory of the season for Indiana.
After taking part in the Sparks, Indiana will face the Aces on Saturday in Las Vegas for a back-to-back. It’s going to even be the third highway recreation in 4 days with the Fever dropping to the Storm in Seattle on Wednesday.
All that comes after the Fever spent the primary 4 video games successfully alternating matchups towards the New York Liberty and Connecticut Solar, two of the three greatest groups by file final season.
To name it a gauntlet of a schedule can be doing it a disservice. The truth is, the extra apt time period is likely to be unprecedented. As Rebecca Lobo of ESPN identified, the open to the season for the Fever, which can characteristic 11 video games in 20 days whole, is just the second time that’s occurred in almost twenty years.
Context: the @IndianaFever are the one @wnba crew this season scheduled to play 11 video games in 20 days. It has occurred just one different time since 2007. The 2011 Mystics went 1-10 of their related stretch and completed the season 6-28 (final within the East). (Analysis: Mackenzie Kraemer) https://t.co/FwEWzLRDNR
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) Could 24, 2024
It wasn’t arduous to see this coming for the Fever as soon as the schedule was launched. However projecting it and seeing it play out are two various things.
Based on Massey Scores, heading into Friday’s recreation in Los Angeles, the Fever have had the second-toughest power of schedule this season. Solely Chicago, who has performed three video games to this point towards top-four groups from final season, ranks forward of them.
The three highway video games the Fever have performed this yr are tied for essentially the most of any crew to this point. By the tip of Saturday evening following their back-to-back, they’ll sit alone on the prime of that checklist. That’s about as grueling a begin as there may very well be, constitution planes or not.
The consequences of which were aplenty for the Fever, however none extra notable than the actual fact they’ve nonetheless but to observe for the reason that season began. It’s a reality Indiana head coach Christie Sides has talked about a handful of instances this season.
Previous to Monday’s recreation towards the Solar, Sides was requested if she knew when the following, or first, observe would come. Her focus, nevertheless, was on lastly giving the gamers a relaxation.
“I’m wanting ahead to giving the gamers a day without work subsequent Sunday,” Sides mentioned. “I’ve bought this younger group who’re preventing their a–es off. They’re. They’re studying. I like this group of individuals. It began final yr and they’re simply rising collectively. It’s a tricky, powerful scenario for them however I recognize their competitiveness and their skill to return in and keep optimistic. That’s arduous to do typically.”
It might be a bit naive to not suppose this schedule was deliberate by the WNBA. Of the 5 highway video games the Fever could have had after the upcoming weekend, 4 of them could have come towards the highest three groups within the league final season and in Los Angeles, arguably the league’s largest market.
Caitlin Clark attracts consideration and eyes to the sport. And in the event you had been drawing up a super begin to the season to maximise the quantity of individuals she’s going to attract, it could embody New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, all locations Clark and the Fever could have performed within the first seven video games.
Finally, Indiana will get a protracted, prolonged break. After this opening 11-game stretch, which concludes on Sunday, June 2, in New York, the Fever can be off till Friday, June 7. At that time, the schedule seems much more “regular,” with a number of days between video games, permitting for observe time and off days.
However attending to that time would require the franchise to navigate one of the brutal schedules in latest league historical past.
The Fever will tip off towards the Aces in Las Vegas on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. The sport can be televised on NBA TV and WNBA League Move. You possibly can comply with Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
