The Indiana Fever sold out arenas nationwide after Caitlin Clark’s arrival. The Rookie of the Year brought a ton of fans and helped grow the entire W. Clark set a new record for assists in a season and was instantly a superstar. She led the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, but Indiana lost 2-0 to the Sun in the opening round.
The franchise shook up their front office, but former general manager Lin Dunn pulled no punches about the WNBA playoff format. In the opening round, it was best-of-3 with the higher seed getting the first two games at home. It left the Fever and the three other lower seeds without a guaranteed home game. Indiana could not bring the series back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Fever fans missed out on creating a rocking environment for their team.
The WNBA addressed this flaw and made several changes in their board of governor meetings before the finals. Every playoff team will get a home game, and the league is expanding next season.
Format changes for the first round of playoffs
It remains a best-of-3 series, but it will be the higher seed getting games 1 and 3 on their home floor. The lower seed gets a home tilt. It should create more win-or-go-home contests in the opening round. Both teams will play in front of their crowd, and fans know how difficult it is to win on the road.
Imagine if this happened one year sooner. Gainbridge Fieldhouse would have been a sellout and rocking as they cheered for Clark and the Fever to upset the Connecticut Sun. It may have been enough to force a third contest and change the entire series.
This is not the only rule change happening next season.
WNBA adds games, alters the finals format, and announces the draft lottery date
The league expanded the regular season to 44 games in 2025 and will now play a seven-game series in the WNBA Finals. The semifinals will remain best-of-5 and the first-round best-of-3. There will be more opportunities to watch Caitlin Clark and two more chances to sell out the fieldhouse.
The WNBA also announced the draft lottery will take place on Nov. 17. The expansion Golden State Valkyries will not take part. They select fifth in every round of the 2025 draft. The Sparks, Wings, Sky, and Mystics will be vying for the number one pick in the lottery.
Indiana has the eighth pick in the draft and hopes to add another key piece around Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever and Clark helped create a change for the better. Every team that qualifies for the playoffs deserves a home game. That will happen in 2025 and is just the next of many ways the Fever’s star will alter the entire league. This is just the beginning, so stay tuned for all the latest.