-
Michael Voepel, senior editor at ESPN
Caitlin Clark said she watched the finals of the two games that put the Indiana Fever in the WNBA playoffs on Tuesday night and then fell asleep. For one thing, it was around midnight ET. For another, Clark wasn’t really surprised — even though it ended the Fever’s seven-year playoff drought.
“This is definitely a big moment for this place, but at the same time, I came here expecting this to happen,” Clark said before the Fever’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night. “For me, this is not a party. Yes, it’s great. But there’s still so much work to be done. I’m not just happy to be in the playoffs. I feel like we have the type of team that can win and advance.”
Las Vegas’ victories over Chicago and Phoenix’s win over Atlanta secured the Fever a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. Indiana had been in the playoffs for 12 consecutive years before the drought, including winning the 2012 WNBA title.
Back-to-back No. 1 draft picks Aliyah Boston (2023) and Clark (2024) helped the Fever return to the spotlight. Indiana started the season 1-8 and faced a lot of outside criticism, but Clark talked about how the team overcame it.
“It was really difficult, but we as a group never gave up,” she said. “We were able to block out the noise and be really good at it. It was just a matter of time before we figured it out.”
On Wednesday, Clark was named both the WNBA Rookie of the Month and Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, while the Fever’s Christie Sides was named Coach of the Month.
Clark said she was grateful but thought her teammate Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever’s leading scorer, deserved the Player of the Month award.
“Just what she did and the pace at which she did it,” Clark said of Mitchell’s shooting percentages from the field, the 3-point line and the free throw line. “I’m happy to get to play with her. I don’t want to sound cheesy; I think she deserves it. I’m lucky to have a backcourt mate who’s been through this for seven years and helped me and let me flourish. Same with Christie… (she) allowed me to be myself and understand this team and the path to success.”
Indiana was the most attended team in the WNBA this season and played the first of six home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
“There weren’t many moments to smile in the beginning,” Clark said. “But getting through it, smiling, finding the good in every single day and remembering that I get to play basketball at the highest level has allowed me to have this moment.”
“Bringing this organization to the playoffs also brings a lot of smiles, for myself, but also for other people. Bring them joy, make them smile, make their day. I feel like I did that even when we were 1-8. It was a reminder: Do really good things on the basketball court, but more importantly, off the basketball court.”
