When does Caitlin Clark play? How to watch the Indiana Fever in the WNBA playoffs

For the die-hard fans, it comes as no surprise that Caitlin Clark put together an epic rookie season — setting WNBA records for assists and 3-pointers (among countless others). But it's a bit surprising the degree to which she's helped transform the Indiana Fever, especially after they started the season by winning just two of their first 10 games.

But after that rocky start, the Fever steadily climbed the standings, becoming one of the best teams in the league since the Olympic break, securing the No. 6 seed and their first playoff appearance since 2016. Their first-round opponent wasn't locked in until the final night of the regular season when the Connecticut Sun took the No. 3 seed with a win over the Chicago Sky, setting up one of the most compelling series in recent WNBA history.

Here's how you can watch every minute of Caitlin Clark's first WNBA postseason run, along with what to expect.

When does Caitlin Clark play in the WNBA playoffs?

The first-round of the WNBA playoffs are a best-of-three series with the higher-seeded team hosting the first two games. In this case, the Fever would host Game 3 but only if they're able to steal one of the first two games on the road.

Who will Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play if the advance to the second round?

If the Fever are able to pull off the upset win, they'd advance to take on the winner of the Minnesota Lynx (No. 2) and the Phoenix Mercury (No. 7). The schedule for this series won't be announced until the conclusion of the first round. The Fever would only have homecourt advantage in this series if the Mercury upset the Lynx and advanced.

Fever vs. Sun season series

The Fever lost three of their four matchups against the Sun during the regular season but, extremely importantly, all three of those losses came before June 10, within the first 13 games of the season. After that third loss, the Fever were 3-10 and had been outscored by an average of 15.8 points per 100 possessions.

That loss wasn't a turning point, in and of itself, but since that game the Fever are 17-9 with a plus-2.6 point differential per 100 possessions. The Fever picked up their lone win against the Sun on Aug. 28, just under a month before the beginning of the playoffs, 84-80. In that win, all five Fever starters scored in double-figures, led by Kelsey Mitchell's 23. Clark finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 7-of-17 from the field.

Again, these stats are heavily warped by the fact that three of the games came so early in the season but Clark really struggled against the Sun. Across all four matchups she shot under 40 percent from the field and managed just 15 assists against 25 turnovers.

The Fever are going to have their work cut out for them, especially on defense, but they have everything they need to pull off a not-so-shocking upset. They're 9-4 since the Olympic break, with the best offense in the league by an enormous margin, Caitlin Clark playing as well as she ever has and a deep supporting cast finally working in synergy.