Final Fever-Dream Matchup of the Regular Season Comes With Major Playoff Implications
Considering their history in college and the WNBA so far, games that feature Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on opposing sides always draw a lot of attention. So far, Reese’s Dream have gotten the better of Clark’s Fever, leading the season series 2-1.
They will meet for one last time on August 16. That game is about more than just the two young stars playing against each other, though. It has major seeding implications for both teams. Indiana currently sits in fourth place with a 0.5-game lead over Atlanta.
Considering how close the standings are, the tiebreaker between the Fever and Dream could decide which of the two teams enters the playoffs with home-court advantage. While there’s still plenty of room for movement, there’s a good chance that they finish tied in the standings, and the tiebreaker will determine who ends up finishing fourth.
Atlanta has a chance to clinch the tiebreaker over Indiana
The Dream lost the first game against Indiana but then won the next two. If they win this final game, the tiebreaker between the two will be easy. Otherwise, win percentages against all teams over .500 and point differentials will come into play.
However, beating the Fever is easier said than done. They have been on a roll, winning eight of their last ten games. The only two games they lost were against the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces. Kelsey Mitchell hasn’t scored fewer than 20 points since June 13. Caitlin Clark recorded four point-assist double-doubles in her last five games, and Aliyah Boston did the same with points and rebounds in three of those games.
The Dream suffered two losses to the Aces and Washington Mystics recently but also went 8-2 in their last ten games, as Angel Reese has been dominating on the boards and Rhyne Howard has been shooting lights out from deep over the last five games.
It will be a fun matchup, and the playoff implications only raise the stakes.
Fever-Dream would be a thrilling first-round matchup
Whether the Dream clinch the tiebreaker or not, Indiana and Atlanta could very well meet in the four-five matchup—and it would be a high-pressure series packed with thrilling storylines.
After the Fever eliminated them last year, the Dream should be hungry for revenge. Moreover, after three consecutive first-round exits with Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray leading the charge, the pressure for them to finally go on a real run is incredibly high.
However, the pressure on the Fever is just as high. They made it to the semifinals last year despite losing Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and Chloe Bibby to season-ending injuries. Growth isn’t always linear, but the expectation is that they will at least match that success now that Clark is healthy. Losing in the first round would be devastating.
Of course, the Clark and Reese of it all would only make it more interesting. It would be their first postseason meeting and Reese’s playoff debut.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.