Caitlin Clark: “There’s still so much left” after Fever wins playoffs
The Indiana Fever secured a spot in the playoffs late Tuesday night without having played a single game.
INDIANAPOLIS – For the Indiana Fever, it was ultimately an inglorious victory in the playoffs.
But that’s exactly what Fever newbie Caitlin Clark wanted.
“Honestly, I was like, ‘Uh, whatever it takes,'” Clark said before the match. “It’s all kind of very confusing, I didn’t even know about the possibility (of clinching) until yesterday morning because there’s so much riding on it… so the sooner that happens the better I guess, I’m not really into partying.”
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The Fever, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2016, clinched a postseason spot late Tuesday night. Needing a loss from Chicago and Atlanta, the Fever played at 10 p.m. ET on the West Coast with both teams playing. Some of the Fever players stayed up to watch — including Clark.
“My reaction was I turned it off and went to sleep,” Clark said. “I didn’t check my phone until the next morning, and that’s when I had most of the messages and stuff. It’s definitely cool, especially beforehand — it really doesn’t have to come down to the last minute for us.”
Coach Christie Side was asleep when Fever secured the WNBA playoff spot
Indiana’s coach speaks to the media about the Fever earning a spot in the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Others, including coach Christie Sides, were already asleep.
“I set my alarm for midnight to wake up, but I actually just turned it off,” Sides said. “I didn’t even check. Then, this morning, I was woken up by some really great text messages.”
There were several reasons why Sides decided not to look at the results, she said. One of them was that she wanted to celebrate with the team – rather than alone in the middle of the night.
Part of her even hoped that either Atlanta or Chicago would win on Tuesday night, so the Fever could celebrate with their fans by defeating the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night.
“I just thought we have such great fans coming out here and that with a win they can be a part of it (playoff victory),” Sides said. “I experienced that in Chicago (as an assistant coach), and you know, the confetti that falls when you win like that was all I thought about. That was for our team that had never experienced that before.”
Confetti or not, it’s a huge milestone for the up-and-coming young team. The Fever have accomplished something that hasn’t been done since Tamika Catchings retired in 2016.
It’s the first playoff berth for Fever veteran Kelsey Mitchell, who has been with the franchise since 2018. Mitchell has experienced ups and downs, including 5-win seasons and games in a barn at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Now they are safely in the playoffs – and are in talks to get past the first round.
But there is still more to do.
“I’m happy about it, but you can’t just make the playoffs, you have to do something in the playoffs,” Mitchell said. “… That’s my mindset. But it was a good moment for us.”
Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.
