It was supposed to be Caitlin Clark’s big playoff moment—her “Hello, WNBA world!” declaration. Instead, it was more of a quiet “Excuse me?” in Game 1 of the Indiana Fever’s first-round playoff series against the Connecticut Sun. With an eye that looked like it had been through a heavyweight title fight and a shot chart that read like a grocery list of missed opportunities, Clark’s debut was… well, not the stuff of legends.
Let’s break it down: The Fever’s superstar rookie, fresh off being crowned AP Rookie of the Year, hit just 1 of her first 11 shots. Yes, you read that right—one. Now, before you start wondering if she mistook the basketball for a bowling ball, it turns out she got poked in the eye early in the game. But don’t expect Clark to lean on that for sympathy points.
“Yeah, they got me pretty good in the eye,” Clark admitted, sporting what will probably be one of the most talked-about black eyes in WNBA history. “But nah, that didn’t affect me. I got good looks; the shots just didn’t drop. Happens to the best of us… though maybe not this often!”
Ouch. Shots fired (not into the basket, though).
Tough Time for Tough Luck
By halftime, Clark had missed three wide-open three-pointers, leaving fans wondering if the basketball gods had conspired to put a lid on the hoop. But, like a true competitor, Clark stayed in the grind. Unfortunately, Marina Mabrey, Connecticut’s sniper, decided to turn the game into her own personal shooting clinic, dropping 11 of her 27 points in the third quarter. Talk about terrible timing.
To make matters worse (or funnier, depending on how you look at it), Clark’s frustration boiled over. In a moment fit for a drama-filled sports montage, she took it out on the poor, unsuspecting bench, smacking a chair in frustration. “That chair never stood a chance,” one might think, and yet, it seemed to fuel her fire.
Then, out of nowhere—bam, bam, bam—Clark nailed her next three shots. Indiana fans’ hopes briefly flickered to life before Mabrey came back and, well, poured ice water on that flame.
The Silver Lining?
Despite the 93-69 spanking handed out by the Sun, Clark’s eye may heal faster than her jump shot, and there’s still hope on the horizon. Game 2 looms on Wednesday, where Clark will get another shot—pun fully intended—to redeem her lackluster playoff debut.
The young phenom isn’t deterred by a little adversity. “We’ll be a lot better,” she said, already looking ahead to the next game. Whether that’s just confident athlete-speak or an actual prophecy remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: no one’s writing off Caitlin Clark just yet.
Clark’s history with Connecticut doesn’t offer much comfort, though. Let’s rewind to May when she made her WNBA regular-season debut… in Connecticut. The result? She missed 10 of her 15 shots that night. Maybe she’s allergic to the place? Can someone check if Connecticut has something against rookies?
Still, if there’s one thing Clark’s short WNBA career has taught us, it’s that she’s got bounce-back ability. So while her postseason opener wasn’t the fireworks display fans hoped for, don’t be surprised if she lights it up in Game 2. After all, legends aren’t made in one night, but in how they rise from rough starts like this one.
Get your popcorn ready—Game 2 is bound to be entertaining, whether it’s Clark dropping dimes or throwing hands with another unlucky chair.