For the WNBA's top-drawing team, the end to a seven-year playoff drought on a night it didn't play seemed a little, well, unceremonious.
On Wednesday morning, the Fever's world changed. The team that endured seven straight losing seasons, had won only 30 games over the previous four years and started this season 1-8 was the toast of Indianapolis.
“I usually go to bed by 9:30, 10 o'clock every night, but I did set my alarm for midnight to wake up and I actually just turned it off. Didn't even look,” Sides said. “So this morning, I woke up to some really awesome text messages.”
Losses by Chicago and Atlanta gave the Fever their first postseason berth since Tamika Catchings retired in 2016, even if Sides wanted just one of those teams to win so the Fever could clinch it on their home court in front of another near-capacity crowd.
Still, nobody was all that upset.
During Wednesday's pregame warmups, beaming smiles could be found on faces all around — Clark, the former Iowa star who has taken women's basketball to unprecedented heights;
While this was the goal from the moment Indiana drafted Clark with the No. 1 overall in pick, it was never a gimme.
“Definitely, cool,” said Clark,
It's not just Clark who realizes what's possible.
Guard Erica Wheeler appeared in four playoff games during her first two WNBA seasons and it took her eight more to make it back. It's been so long, the playoff format has changed, as has her role — playing behind Clark.
But as one of four Fever players with postseason experience, she can bring some important perspective.
“The job is not done,” Wheeler said. “We still have six, seven more games and we can't think ahead like that. Me being a vet, I know that for a fact. So for me, it's not time to think about the playoffs. You've got seven games left.”
Just three months ago, the postseason appeared unlikely.
A brutal early schedule coupled with Clark starting her pro career just five weeks after completing a 39-game college schedule contributed to Indiana's early woes.
Since June 1, Indiana is 16-8 and has victories over each of the league's top three teams — New York, Minnesota and Connecticut — along with a three-game season sweep of Phoenix, all while stopping the league's longest streak of consecutive games played with a losing record at 189.
“We were able to keep it together and they focused on the things we kept talking about — creating good habits, relentless effort, togetherness and toughness,” Sides said. “We focused on those things and that's what mattered.”
Having Clark didn't hurt, either.
Clark continues to be the league’s feature attraction, routinely drawing sellout crowds and large national television audiences. Business Insider recently reported that this year’s secondary-market ticket prices had nearly doubled year over year — before the Olympic break.
Indiana also leads the league in home, road and overall attendance, and the Fever have appeared on each of the 13 highest-rated telecasts this year. It's easy to imagine big audiences should Clark face record-setting rookie Angel Reese of Chicago, established stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner of Phoenix or Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart of New York in a playoff series.
Indiana entered Wednesday having gone a league-best 8-2 in its last 10 games. And with five more home games and a regular-season finale at Washington, the Fever could cause the WNBA's top teams some restless nights.
“It's definitely a big moment for this place, but at the same time, I came in with the expectation this was going to happen,” Clark said. “For me, this isn't a party. It's great, I feel like it's a great accomplishment, but there's much more left to be done. Yeah, we made the playoffs, but I'm not just happy to be in the playoffs. I think we have the kind of team that can and advance going one game at a time.”
