Despite the Indiana Fever suffering a 92-91 loss to the Washington Mystics on Thursday night, standout Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was part of history

The Indiana Fever kept it relaxed in practice and in the nation’s capital for the last game before the playoffs.

Sold out arenas became the norm. Soaring television ratings helped expand the fan base. Clark, Reese, the presumptive league MVP A’ja Wilson and others continually chased record-breaking statistics. And routine conversations and social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture.