WNBA playoffs: Caitlin Clark and Fever swept off the court in the first round, Diana Taurasi may play her last game

CNN
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The final four of the 2024 WNBA playoffs have been decided.

The first round of the postseason concluded on Wednesday, with the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx securing their spots in the semifinals.

Here’s everything you need to know about which teams are moving on and which groups are going home.

Caitlin Clark’s spectacular rookie season has come to an end after the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever were defeated 87-81 by the third-seeded Sun in Game 2 to win the best-of-three series.

Clark — who was unanimously named the AP WNBA Rookie of the Year on Sunday — led the team in scoring with 25 points and also had nine assists and six rebounds. She is the first rookie in league history to record at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in a playoff game and is the youngest player in history to do so.

“This is a little taste of what’s possible for this organization and this franchise,” Clark told reporters after the game. “There’s a lot to be proud of. This team won five games, I think, two years ago. We’re a young group, a pretty inexperienced group, but we came together and had a lot of fun playing together… proud of this group. We stayed strong all year and had a lot of fun together.”

After ending her senior year at Iowa with a loss to South Carolina in the national championship game, Clark had just over a month to prepare for her WNBA debut.

“It will be good for me to look back on everything that happened,” she said. “I feel like I didn’t have time to really reflect on my college career because it ended so quickly.”

“Then I came here and tried to give this team everything I could and kind of move on and put all of that behind me and help this team get back to the playoffs. I feel like I’m taking some time for myself and really enjoying this and looking back.”

Aliyah Boston, 2023 Rookie of the Year, posted a strong double-double for the Fever with 16 points and 19 rebounds, giving Indiana a 77-75 lead with just over two minutes left in the game.

At the other end, however, DeWanna Bonner – playing in her record-breaking 82nd postseason game – immediately answered with a three-pointer to start Connecticut’s 12-4 run that ended the series.

Alyssa Thomas led the third-seeded Sun with 19 points and 13 assists, while four other Connecticut players scored in double figures.

The Sun have made it to the semifinals of the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, but the franchise is still seeking its first WNBA title.

Diana Taurasi may have played her last WNBA game.

The No. 2 seed Lynx defeated the No. 7 seed Phoenix Mercury 101-88, 2-0, thanks to a dominant performance from Napheesa Collier to advance to a semifinal match against the Sun amid ongoing rumors of Taurasi’s possible retirement.

Taurasi had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists before being ejected for a foul. As she left the court, she received a standing ovation from Minnesota’s Target Center.

The 42-year-old was drafted first overall by the Mercury in 2004 and has spent her entire WNBA career with the franchise. She is a former MVP, three-time WNBA champion, six-time EuroLeague champion, six-time Olympic gold medalist, eleven-time WNBA All-Star and is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time.

She has not yet officially confirmed her retirement, but gave an emotional speech to the crowd in Phoenix at her team’s final regular season game last week.

“I want to thank every single coach, every single player and every single person who has worn a WNBA jersey because it takes a village and our league is about supporting each other,” she said in her speech. “And in turn, we can see where we are now, 28 years later, for those who played before us. This league is where it is now. We’re thankful for you guys, and we’re thankful for the next generation.”

“If it’s the last time, it felt like the first time,” she added.

Brittney Griner was the Mercury’s top scorer with 24 points, while Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper contributed 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Collier had a stellar performance to propel the Lynx into the next round. She set the WNBA playoff scoring record with 42 points on 70% shooting, and also had five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. She totaled 80 points in her two games against the Mercury, the most in a two-game stretch in WNBA postseason history, according to the league.

Minnesota is seeking its fifth WNBA title. The winner of the Lynx-Sun series will face either the defending champion Las Vegas Aces or the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Finals.