Sophie Cunningham Names Best Matchup for Indiana Fever in WNBA Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 11:03 PM ET

The Indiana Fever have secured a spot in the WNBA playoffs after finishing with a 24-20 record — the most regular season wins in franchise history.

Sophie Cunningham was primed to play a big role in the playoff push, averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting a career-high 43.2 percent from three this season.

She started 13 straight games before suffering a torn MCL in her right knee on Aug. 17, joining Caitlin Clark on a list of five players who wound up with season-ending injuries.

Behind the coaching of Stephanie White and the reliable play of All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell (20.2 points per game) and Aliyah Boston (15.0 points per game), the shorthanded Fever managed to finish the year strong.

On Thursday, they will learn their first-round opponent for the WNBA playoffs. When it comes to the Fever's best matchup, Cunningham has one team in mind.

Sophie Cunningham Shares Playoff Experience

On her "Show Me Something" podcast with reality television star West Wilson, Cunningham broke down what it takes to succeed in the playoffs.

"You can have the best record in the regular season and literally lose in the first round if that team doesn't have experience," she warned. "Experience is what wins playoffs and championships."

Cunningham, 29, learned those postseason lessons with the Phoenix Mercury, where they made the playoffs in five of her six WNBA seasons before joining the Fever.

She has played in 15 playoff games in her career, sharing the court with former champions such as Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.

Griner's new team, the Atlanta Dream, is the potential first-round opponent Cunningham sees as the best matchup.

.@sophaller gives her thoughts on the Fever’s outlook ahead of the playoffs pic.twitter.com/h0RFgBVdtA
— Show Me Something (@ShowMe_Pod) September 10, 2025

Why the Fever Match Up Better with Dream Than Aces

"I would like to play Atlanta," Cunningham stated. "I think we match up best with them. We have Kelsey Mitchell, we have (Boston). Again, it's playoff experience. Atlanta has the least amount of playoff experience and our team does too, so I think that would be our best matchup."

The Dream made the playoffs with a losing record the past two seasons, but got swept 2-0 in the first round by the New York Liberty in 2024 and the Dallas Wings in 2023.

The last time Atlanta won a playoff game was in 2018, but that is still more recent than Indiana's last postseason win in 2015.

In 2025, they split the season series 2-2, with each team going 1-1 at home. Clark and Cunningham played in both Fever wins.

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By contrast, the other possible first-round opponent for the Fever is the Las Vegas Aces, who have made at least the WNBA semifinals in six straight seasons.

Star forward A'ja Wilson led them to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, and this year's MVP favorite has helped them go on a 15-game win streak to close the season.

There are no easy matchups in the playoffs, but Cunningham is right that from an experience standpoint, the Dream clearly have less of an advantage than most teams would on the Fever.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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