The Indiana Fever suffered a 109-102 loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday. But there was still plenty of positive news for the Fever before the game even tipped off, as they clinched their place in the playoffs for the third-straight season.
However, soon after the news spread, a political columnist came up with a theory of his own about what could lie ahead for the Fever, especially with Caitlin Clark involved.
Political Columnist’s Unique Prediction Regarding Caitlin Clark and the Fever
Political pundit Brian Cates took to X and reposted a Yahoo Sports graphic celebrating Indiana’s playoff berth. In response to the achievement, he suggested that Clark could face even more physical play in the remaining regular-season games.
“I suspect we’re gonna see Clark knocked and thrown around more than ever over these next couple of games. I think there are around six regular season games left. Certain WNBA front office people and team officials are tired of the logistics headaches that Caitlin Clark [now with the Sophie Cunningham Traveling Road Show added in] causes for them, when they have to rent a different, larger arena when the Fever shows up,” Cates wrote on X.
Cates didn’t leave it there either. He went on to suggest that the “logistics” around games involving Clark and the Fever are about to get much more complicated, and, according to him, the league isn’t exactly thrilled about it.
“Now the headache was bad enough when they only had to do this around two times during the regular season when the Fever drop by. But in the playoffs, some teams are now going to have to move the games to a larger arena for the entire playoff series. And they HATE having to do this. And they don’t hide it. There is a reason the league will not protect the player that is causing this to happen,” Cates added in his tweet.
I suspect we’re gonna see Clark knocked and thrown around more than ever over these next couple of games.
I think there are around six regular season games left.
Certain WNBA front office people and team officials are tired of the logistics headaches that Caitlin Clark [now… https://t.co/VrbZ7Pk5jq
— Brian Cates – Political Columnist & Pundit (@drawandstrike) August 22, 2026
With their playoff ticket already secured, the Fever can now focus on improving their position before the postseason begins.
Indiana still has six regular-season games left, giving the team enough time to move higher in the standings and put itself in a better position for home-court advantage. The Fever are 0.5 games behind the Atlanta Dream, and one game ahead of the Liberty in the standings.
The Fever’s latest game against the Liberty showed that there is still plenty of work to do. Indiana struggled early and was seven points behind after the opening quarter. They then managed to cut the deficit slightly by halftime, but they still went into the break trailing by four points.
The second half proved to be the difference as New York scored 56 points after halftime, which the Fever could not handle, and fell 109-102.
Kelsey Mitchell and Clark did everything they could to keep Indiana within striking distance. Mitchell finished with 25 points, while Clark added 21 points. But the Fever still came up short against one of the league’s strongest opponents.
Now that the playoff spot is secured, the biggest question is where Indiana will finish and who the Fever will face once the postseason begins.
