The Indiana Fever did not play on Tuesday night, but it was still a big night for the proud franchise. Due to losses by the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream, the Fever officially clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016, ending the longest active drought in the league.
For nearly a decade, the Fever have been the laughing stock of the league.
From 2017-2023, they went 58-174 with zero playoff appearances, and finished in last place three times. They won six or fewer games in four of those seasons, and the only time they didn’t reach the 20-loss mark is when the 2020 season was shortened to 22 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In three consecutive years from 2021-23, they selected a player in the lottery who would be waived in less than two seasons.
Their luck finally changed with the 2023 WNBA Draft, when they won the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history and selected Aliyah Boston. She helped the team go 13-27 last season and win more games than they did in 2021 and 2022 combined. The lottery luck…
