Caitlin Clark is used to setting records and drawing in crowds at this point in her rookie year. And when the Indiana Fever take the court in a must-win Game 2 against the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs on Wednesday night, it’ll be business as usual.
The Sun spoiled Clark’s WNBA playoff debut when they routed the Fever 93-69 in Game 1 on Sunday. Despite heartbreak for Indy fans, the matchup drew in record numbers, averaging 1.8 million viewers and peaking at 2.2 million.
According to ESPN, the game marked the most-watched WNBA playoff game across all ESPN platforms ever and league’s most watched playoff game since the 2000 WNBA Finals.
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But for Clark and the Fever, the focus on Wednesday is soley on winning in Connecticut and forcing a Game 3 in Indiana for a chance to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
"I think it’s blinders on, and we’re focused," Clark told Fox News Digital before tipoff when asked about the team’s mentality. But the former Iowa star added that the numbers do say something about women’s basketball as a whole.
"I think it’s what you would expect at this point in the season because it's been a record-breaking year for the WNBA in all sorts of ways. It doesn’t surprise me. The basketball has been really good."
WNBA PLAYOFFS: CAITLIN CLARK, FEVER LOOK TO FORCE DECISIVE GAME 3 AGAINST STAR-STUDDED SUN
"I think people were just so excited across the board about the playoffs and the matchups and the potential upsets and the great players that are in these series. So I think it'll continue to be something that people want to tune into and continue to watch," she continued.
"But I don't think it affects us by any means. The arena is going to be sold out, there could be people watching on TV – you approach it as you do every other game. It's not going to be different for us."
The Fever will need to be as focused as ever to stave off elimination.
Clark scored just 11 points and missed 11 of her 13 3-point attempts, despite averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game heading into the series.
"It’s just focusing on the next opportunity," head coach Christie Sides told reporters before tipoff. "This is just another opportunity for our team to be together and have a chance to show who we are and what we’re capable of doing and that we do belong here."
"I think we have two great shooters in Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark and both those guys are ready to go. They’re ready for this next opportunity to show what they can do in these playoffs."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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