Caitlin Clark: Playoffs 'a big moment' for Fever, but expected

Caitlin Clark said she watched the endings to the two games that put the Indiana Fever into the WNBA playoffs Tuesday night then fell asleep. For one thing, it was around midnight ET. But also, Clark wasn't really surprised -- even if it did end the Fever's seven-year playoff drought.

"It's definitely a big moment for this place, but at the same time, I came in with the expectation that this is what's going to happen," Clark said prior to the Fever's game Wednesday night against the visiting  Los Angeles Sparks. "For me, this isn't a party. Yeah, it's great. But there's so much left 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' win over Chicago and Phoenix's against Atlanta guaranteed the Fever a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. Indiana had been to the playoffs for 12 consecutive years, including a run to the 2012 WNBA championship, before the drought.

Back-to-back No. 1 draft picks in  Aliyah Boston (2023) and Clark (2024) helped the Fever return to prominence. Indiana started the season 1-8 and faced a lot of outside criticism, but Clark talked about how the team overcame that.

"It really was difficult, but for our group, we never hung our heads," she said. "We were able to block out the noise, and that's allowed us to be really good. It was just a matter of when we were going to figure it out."

On Wednesday, Clark was named both 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 teammate Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever's leading scorer, deserved the Player of the Month Award.

"Just what she was doing, and the clip she was doing it," Clark said of Mitchell's shooting percentages from the field, the 3-point line and the foul line. "I feel fortunate to play with her. I'm not even trying to be corny; I think she deserved it. I'm lucky to have a backcourt mate that has been through this for seven years and has helped me and let me flourish. Same with Christie ... [she] has allowed me to be myself and figure out this team and how to be successful."

Indiana has been the top-drawing team in the WNBA this season, and it played the first game of a six-game homestand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

"There weren't many moments to smile at the beginning," Clark said. "But making it through that and smiling and finding the good in every single day and just reminding myself I get to play basketball at the highest level has allowed me to be in this moment.

"To take this organization to the playoffs, that brings a lot of smiles too, for myself but also for other people. Bring them joy, help them smile, make their day better. I feel like I was able to do that even when we were 1-8. It was a reminder: Do really good things on the basketball court, but even more importantly, off the basketball court."