Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark recently finished her rookie campaign in the WNBA, and it was one of the greatest seasons the league has ever seen.
Clark broke the single-season WNBA assist record and became the first rookie to ever record a triple-double in a game, doing so twice. Clark’s accomplishments earned her the WNBA Kia Rookie of the Year award, but individual success wasn’t all she found in her rookie year.
Clark led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Unfortunately, Indiana lost in two games to the Connecticut Sun. Due to the format of the WNBA playoffs, the Fever never got the chance to play a home game in the playoffs, where the Fever have one of the best home-court advantages in the WNBA.
Now, that’s all set to change. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has announced a change to the postseason format that will guarantee a home playoff game for each team. The league is also expanding the length of the WNBA Finals series, meaning more home games for both teams.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the WNBA finals will be a best of 7 series starting in 2025. The first round will also move to a 1-1-1 format to guarantee a home game for each team. pic.twitter.com/VBPPVc8Uw7
— correlation (@nosyone4) October 10, 2024
Fans reacted to the news online.
“Geeeee…..I wonder who drove this action ? Hmmmm,” one fan said on Twitter, clearly referencing Clark.
“Yep, the first round of the playoffs was a colossal bore because of the format. A welcome change,” another fan added.
“It only took her how long to figure this out. What a poorly run league from the officials to the scheduling. Really had no clue from the beginning of what she was getting into. What a shame,” someone added.
“Gonna lose money if clark doesn’t play,” another said.
Now that Clark is guaranteed to play in front of her home fans in the playoffs, there’s going to be almost no stopping her.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.