SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
We have reached the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs, and although Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were bounced in the first round, a clash between arguably the two best teams in the league looms ahead. Starting tomorrow, the Las Vegas Aces will take on the New York Liberty, and the Connecticut Sun play the Minnesota Lynx.
Let's catch up with the latest with Ben Pickman, who covers the WNBA for The Athletic. Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
BEN PICKMAN: Hey, thanks a lot for having me back.
DETROW: Let's start with the Aces and Liberty. This definitely feels like one of those "why is this not the final?" situation. It has been the finals for several seasons in a row. Last year was such an epic series. Is it a little bit of a letdown that this is a semifinals matchup?
PICKMAN: I mean, I think a lot of fans are maybe a little disappointed that a title trophy isn't on the line here, but in terms of two teams that are full of stars and full of intriguing storylines, like, this series lives up to the billing. Two of the best teams with, obviously, a lot of history at play - Las Vegas is going for a third consecutive championship. That hasn't been done since the Houston Comets, the now-defunct Houston Comets, at the very start of the WNBA. And New York has lost five times in WNBA finals, so they are still looking for their first-ever championship.
DETROW: Cannot believe that Liberty has never won a title - yeah. It's - what about the Sun and Lynx? What are the main storylines you're looking at there?
PICKMAN: The main storylines there is these are two teams that really play with a lot of continuity, a lot of cohesion. Connecticut has made six consecutive semifinals. They also have never actually won a WNBA championship, and they are a franchise that is looking to get over the hump.
Minnesota has a much more storied history overall, and they've really been one of the surprises of the season. They have, you know, a top defense, a really good offense, and they play very, very well together. Napheesa Collier is the player to watch there. She went to UConn, obviously a storied program. And as a team, they just play collective basketball. Their defense is excellent. And so, you know, that series is going to come down to the wire, too. Two very, very evenly matched teams.
DETROW: It's 2024, so I do want to include a question about Caitlin Clark, because, you know, I think (laughter) that's been the theme of the year for so many people. But her - like I said, the Fever lost. Her Game 2 loss versus the Sun was actually the most watched WNBA playoff game on ESPN. Here's a clip from Clark after the game.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CAITLIN CLARK: I feel like I had a solid year. But for me, the fun part is, like, I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.
DETROW: Ben, I'm curious. What do you think Clark and the Fever need to do to build off this year and get better?
PICKMAN: I mean, I think Clark has been open about just wanting to improve all facets of her game. And you got to think about it. Like, she's been playing basketball since last fall, all the way through this time right now in this fall, now. And so I think she is relishing the opportunity to get stronger, to work on her playmaking, to work on her shooting. Like, she is already one of the five or 10 best players in the WNBA, and so, you know, she's going to spend the offseason refining her toolbox, now knowing, you know, what she needs to do against WNBA competition.
It was very interesting to hear from, you know, her teammate Aliyah Boston, who was the No. 1 pick in the draft the year before Caitlin Clark, and hear Aliyah Boston talk about, OK, now she knows what to expect, the pace that Indiana wants to play at, this - playing in this short role (ph), kind of rolling to the basket, to kind of complement Caitlin Clark. Like, I think some of her teammates now also have a better idea of how to fit around Caitlin.
So I think Indiana - now they want to go up from the sixth seed to a Top 4 seed next year, but the ceiling is so, so high. Potential is so great because of - you know, even after what they achieved this year.
DETROW: That's Ben Pickman, staff writer for The Athletic. Thanks so much.
PICKMAN: Thanks a lot for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF HOT CHOCOLATE SONG, "EVERY 1'S A WINNER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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