While it was a disappointing night for the Indiana Fever with the playoffs exit, Caitlin Clark’s magical rookie season has come to an end. Losing Game 2 against the Connecticut Sun 81-87, Caitlin Clark & Co. will now be looking to regroup and recharge in the offseason. However, one cannot help but marvel at the 22-year-old’s record-breaking season. It wasn’t surprising that she entered legendary category with her last game of the season as she has now placed herself alongside the NBA icons Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan with a remarkable feat.

In today’s game, Clark put up 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists and became the first rookie since Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson to put up these numbers in the NBA/WNBA playoffs. Interestingly, Magic started his first Playoff series in his rookie season with back-to-back triple-doubles. However, it was in Game 2 against the Phoenix Suns where he also had 25 points (He scored 13 in Game 1) along with 13 rebounds and 11 assists. That’s some elite company to be a part of for the Iowa alumnae. However, this is not it.

Caitlin Clark also became only the second rookie in the history of the NBA/WNBA to average at least 18 points, 5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block per game in a playoff series. The first one to achieve these figures was Michael Jordan. In the only playoff series in his rookie year, His Airness averaged 29.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.6 steals and 1 block per game. Similarly to Clark, MJ’s historic rookie season also ended with a first-round exit.

Besides, she also became the first rookie to score 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game since her idol and the WNBA legend Maya Moore in 2011. However, anyone who has followed Clark knows that these numbers don’t mean much to the Fever point guard unless they result in wins.

In the post-game presser, Clark described how going against Connecticut was, as she put it, “a tough one especially because we climbed all the way back in and definitely had our opportunities late and then a few different miscues and it’s back to a two-possession game and we couldn’t quite get over the hump there.” Nonetheless, she still had some optimism to offer the fans, something to look up to for the future.

Caitlin Clark gave reasons for optimism

The Fever concluded its 25th season with several positives. First of all, it’s the unprecedented force in Caitlin Clark. Secondly, the combination of Clark with last season’s Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston, proved to be a powerful duo.

In Game 2 of the First Round, the two put together a combined score of 41 points. Moreover, Clark was just 1 point away from hitting a playoff double-double. “It’s a good little taste of what’s possible for this organization and for this franchise and there’s a lot for us to hold our heads high about this team won,” said Clark on her playoff debut.

She further resonated with Indiana being a young team that has a lot to learn, “I think five games two years ago so we’re a young group a pretty inexperienced group, but we came together and had a lot of fun playing with one another.”

With today’s loss, Clark finished off what can be called her longest basketball season, which started back in October last year with a month-long break in between. But it is sure that she has a lot to reflect on and feel special about, as she is on her way to becoming one of the greatest players this league has ever seen.