The Indiana Fever’s rollercoaster 2025 season has now arrived at its most critical juncture: the playoff picture. With Caitlin Clark powering the franchise into contention and Aliyah Boston continuing her dominance in the paint, Indiana looks poised to secure a spot in the postseason for the first time in consecutive years since the Tamika Catchings era.


But who the Fever could face — and the storm of narratives around those matchups — is already making headlines.

Right now, projections have Indiana slotted in the middle of the playoff seeding, which means a potential clash with either the New York Liberty or the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. Both matchups would test Clark and Boston in unique ways.

Against New York, the Fever would be up against Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones — a superteam that thrives on spacing and shooting. Against Las Vegas, the physicality of A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum could create chaos for Indiana’s young core.

Either way, Clark would be at the center of attention, and for the Fever, the question is whether their youth can rise against two of the league’s most dominant veterans.

Adding fuel to the fire is the Angel Reese saga. Reports out of Chicago indicate that Reese, already frustrated with suspensions and locker-room tensions, will not suit up for the Sky’s final playoff push.

For Indiana, that means one rival potentially out of the way, but it also means the Fever will carry even more of the spotlight. Reese’s absence takes a layer of drama out of a potential Fever-Sky matchup, but it also puts the attention squarely back on Caitlin Clark and whether she can carry her team past the league’s established powers.

Meanwhile, the Washington Mystics drama refuses to go away. Shakira Austin, one of the Mystics’ brightest young stars, has grown increasingly irritated with the flood of Clark supporters who dominate Washington’s home games when the Fever come to town.

“It feels like we’re the road team in our own building,” one insider quoted Austin as saying. The frustration highlights just how much Clark has shifted the fan balance in the WNBA — not just boosting Indiana, but overwhelming opposing arenas with her fanbase.

If the Fever and Mystics were to meet in the postseason, it could create a volatile environment where Austin and her teammates would have to battle both Indiana and their own home crowd dynamics.

The Fever themselves have tried to stay above the noise. Clark has deflected questions about Reese’s controversies and Austin’s frustrations, keeping her focus on preparing for the intensity of playoff basketball. Aliyah Boston, meanwhile, has been vocal about how Indiana can’t afford to get caught up in side stories: “We know the eyes are on us, but it’s about handling business when it matters.”

Still, the narratives are impossible to ignore. A potential Fever-Liberty matchup would pit Clark against Sabrina Ionescu in a head-to-head that media outlets are already dubbing “the battle for point guard supremacy.”

A showdown with the Aces would give Clark her biggest test yet, against the defending champions who thrive on exploiting inexperience. And if somehow the Fever cross paths with Washington, the storyline shifts to whether Clark’s fandom is overshadowing the very league she’s trying to elevate.

With Angel Reese sidelined, Shakira Austin frustrated, and the Fever surging, the WNBA playoffs are shaping up to be more than just basketball — they’re becoming a battleground of personalities, narratives, and power struggles. And at the center of it all, as always, is Caitlin Clark.