UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – The Indiana Fever enter the WNBA playoffs with many firsts.

Sunday’s first-round opener against the Connecticut Sun marks the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2016 and the first playoff game for every member of Indiana’s starting lineup, including star rookie Caitlin Clark.

But the No. 6 seed Fever are drawing on the ease and youth that helped them establish themselves as one of the best teams in the WNBA after the Olympic break and hope that will help them surprise the No. 3 seed Sun.

“You can’t get too tight, then you can’t play good basketball,” Clark said Saturday. “I think that’s what’s brought us a lot of success here in the second half of the season, the fun and the energy we play with and the relaxed atmosphere. I think it’s good that everyone is like that. But at the same time, I feel like everyone is approaching this like it’s the playoffs. That’s very important for every single person on this team.”

Teammate and former No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston added: “I think the moment you get tense, that’s when things can go wrong. For us, it’s just about continuing to be ourselves and having fun. That’s one of the main things we tell each other, especially before every game: Let’s have fun, let’s make sure we keep playing together. And even now that we’ve looked around, we know exactly what our game plan is, and it’s just about making sure we continue to stay loose right now.”

Of the eight playoff teams, Indiana has the least combined postseason experience — 19 games between four players — and faces a Sun team that has 222 playoff games under its belt, the fifth-largest difference between opponents in WNBA postseason history.

While the Fever’s playoff drought lasted seven years, the longest in league history, Connecticut has made the playoffs eight years in a row and has reached at least the semifinals each of the last five years.

But Indiana, also the third-youngest team in the league, is trying not to see this inexperience as a disadvantage.

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “They don’t know. So what they don’t know is they’re just going to go out there and play hard, right? They play hard as soon as we throw the jump ball, so they’re just going to keep doing what they don’t know. I hope they just keep doing what we’ve been doing all season.”

Clark added: “Maybe that’s a good thing. You don’t let the moment overwhelm you and you just approach it like it’s any other game. You prepare the same way and go out there and compete.”

The Sun won the regular season series against the Fever 3-1. The first three meetings came in Indiana’s first 13 games, and Connecticut beat them at home by an average margin of 19 points. But the last time these teams met on Aug. 28 in Indianapolis, the Fever won 84-80, their first victory over the Sun since 2021.

“I think we knew they were going to continue to improve,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said of Indiana’s developing chemistry since May. “We knew they were going to improve in their reading. We knew they had all the tools. Their reading was clearer, their shots were open and since the break they’ve been tough shooters…not only has their core group and their superstars stepped up to the challenge and gotten better, but everyone else has too. It’s like they’ve settled into their roles, they know what to expect and they’re elite in those roles.”

Star Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell will be back to full action on Sunday after suffering an injury in the first quarter of Indiana’s final game of the season against the Washington Mystics. Mitchell told reporters Saturday that she was feeling great and that her departure on Thursday was a precautionary measure.

The best-of-three first round guarantees two games in Connecticut (Game 2 is on Wednesday). A tie would set up a decisive Game 3 in Indianapolis on Friday.

“I’m excited,” Clark said. “I think you can tell from our mood that everyone is really fired up and ready to go.”