Indiana Basketball Star Shares Playoff Excitement Amid Overtime Thrills

ATLANTA, Georgia — Kaitlyn Clark, a prominent WNBA player, expressed her excitement about the NBA playoffs, particularly as her favorite team, the Indiana Pacers, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. Clark watched as the Pacers completed a thrilling 138-135 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. “It’s a great time to be a basketball fan in Indiana,” said Clark during a pre-game event on Thursday.

Clark was so energized by the Pacers’ comeback victory that she recorded a video capturing her reaction to the game-winning jumper that sent the match into overtime. “I have a video on my phone I’m never going to show anybody,” Clark revealed. While she teased that the video might one day be shared, she opted to keep it private for now.

Reflecting on past games, Clark lamented that she missed capturing another significant moment from the Pacers’ series—a last-second layup by Tyrese Haliburton that clinched a spot in the East finals. “It’s a good thing I had taken a nap earlier in the day so I could be able to stay up for overtime,” she added.

In her enthusiasm, Clark took to social media, declaring, “PACERS ARE THE GREATEST COMEBACK TEAM IVE EVER SEEN.” Her connection to the sport runs deep; her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, recently completed his first season as an assistant coach at Butler University, and the couple closely follows the Pacers.

<p“I mean, that team, they never give up. You go back and look at the ESPN probability tracker, and it was like 99.7% for the Knicks last night, and that’s just crazy,” Clark shared, highlighting the Pacers' ability to defy the odds.

As basketball fever grips Indiana, Clark noted, “It’s great being in Indianapolis right now. People are loving basketball. It’s always been a basketball state.”

Meanwhile, in an exciting matchup on Thursday night, the Atlanta Dream overcame a cold shooting night to defeat the Indiana Fever 81-76 in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena. Despite struggling by missing all five of her three-point attempts, Clark contributed 11 points and six assists to her team.

Clark’s streak of 140 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer came to an end on Thursday. The last time she was held without a three-pointer was in January 2022. Her teammate, who missed the first two games with an ankle sprain, made a promising debut with nine points during the match.