Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever lose 93-69 to the Connecticut Sun in the Game 1 of the round one.

“Even the best have off days!” – Caitlin Clark’s WNBA playoff debut ends in defeat, fans react

Not all fairytales have happy endings, as was the case of Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, who had a WNBA playoff debut game to forget. Her team got routed 93-69 in Game 1 of round one against the third seed, Connecticut Sun in the 2023/24 season playoffs.

The AP unanimous Rookie of the Year, Clark finished the contest with a shocking output of 11 points on 4/17 balls shot from the field, as well as a below standard 2/11 from the three-point range. However, despite her struggles, she added an impressive eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals to close the game.

A'Ja Wilson is STAR of basketball world after historic 1000-points record! 🏀😱 #ajawilson #wnba

The shooting woes didn’t affect Kelsey Mitchell as she led the Indiana Fever with 21 points, three rebounds and five assists and teammate Aliyah Boston came up with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Meanwhile, for the Sun, Marina Mabrey topped the players’ statistics charts with 27 points, three rebounds and assists as she came off the bench.

Fans of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever can find solace in the fact that they weren’t expected to reach the playoffs after they finished 13-27 last season, which all the same made this year’s playoff appearance an achievement in itself. It can be deduced that the addition of Clark, the top pick in the WNBA draft, was pivotal in the Fever’s turnaround after the Olympics break.

Fans react to Caitlin Clark WNBA Playoffs debut Loss

It can be said that Clark’s rocky postseason debut against the Connecticut Sun surprised a lot of fans, especially after she had a strong rookie campaign to show for. Unfortunately, she’s not a god, as even great players have rough games, and Clark was no exception.

Social media was set on fire as the game ended and fans had their say on the game. One user @weedw88 wrote on X, “Caitlin, even the best have off days! Keep your head up, and you’ll bounce back stronger!”

A couple of other social media reactions by fans on X below:

Furthermore, some fans believe that Clark’s struggles were compounded by physical play from Connecticut, as she took a poke in the eye from DiJonai Carrington early in the game, which resulted in a black eye.

Connecticut’s tough defense and control of the pace will be key challenges for Indiana as they head into Game 2, as they hope and pray for a miracle to keep their playoff hopes alive.