A full circle moment completes for the first-overall pick Caitlin Clark as she will debut her playoffs the same way she did her WNBA career: In Uncasville against the Connecticut Sun. The excitement must be palpable for the Indiana Fever as they prepare to make their long-awaited playoff appearance after eight long years. However, their path won’t be easy, as they’ll be squaring off against a tough opponent—the Connecticut Sun—who have a wealth of playoff experience and hold the record for the longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances.

But both the teams remain determined with stronger reasons for each to stay put. Certainly unpredictable playoffs then. However, having already faced off four times during the regular season and a few more in the last few years, their matchups can just give a glimpse into what to expect. So here is the history track.

Connecticut Sun remains perseverant

As the Uncasville franchise gears up for yet another first round of the playoffs, they’re set to extend their appearance streak to eight consecutive years—two more than the Las Vegas Aces’ active six-year run. What’s intriguing is that the Fever’s last playoff appearance in 2016 was also the last time the Sun missed the postseason. Since then, the team has made it to the playoffs every year from 2017 up to now.

While the team has risen as a formidable unit recently, this Connecticut Sun, originally founded in 1999 as the Orlando Miracle, didn’t make the playoffs in their inaugural season. But they returned stronger the very next year to secure their first playoff appearance. However, with the defeat to the Cleveland Rockers in the first round, they had to bid goodbye to the postseason further.

The next major milestone for them was reaching the WNBA Finals in the back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005. Unfortunately, they once again got themselves unlucky on both occasions, falling to Seattle Storm (2-1) and Sacramento Monarchs (3-1) respectively.

The Suns would see 5 more playoff appearances follow until their streak began in 2017, but a championship title evaded them every time. They also made it to the finals only in 2019, the first since 2005, but succumbed to the Minnesota Lynx after a tough fight to end 2-3. Nevertheless, they were not yet to give up as they reached another final again in 2022. However, the title was still not written in the stars as they lost to the Las Vegas Aces in a 3-1 series with Wilson’s team launching their quest for a three-peat.