Caitlin Clark beelined to an official, her eyes wide and her left hand pulling up her lip to expose a cascade of blood dripping from her tooth. She pointed at the blot with her right index finger, an incredulous look plastered on her face. That was the enduring image from the last game of the Fever’s 2026 season, and in many ways the messy, unnerving scene was a fitting representation of the past year in Indiana.
The Aces sent the Fever packing in the first round of the playoffs, with A’ja Wilson delivering a stark memorandum about how close, yet so far Indiana is from beating the best. But before Becky Hammon’s team could revel in the spoils of victory, Clark took an elbow to the face from Jewell Loyd in what appeared to be incidental contact, as both battled for a rebound in the final minutes of a decisive Game 3. No foul was called. Discourse ensued, as it often did with the Fever this season. This all came after Wilson got into a verbal altercation with a Fever fan at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 2. (Indiana deemed that the fan did not breach the fan code of conduct and Wilson was not fined). Point being, it was a very Fever-esque series in tone and tenor.
