While you (and some Fever coaches and players) were sleeping, Indiana made WNBA playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS — It was, ultimately, an unceremonious playoff clinch for the Indiana Fever.

But that’s just what Fever rookie Caitlin Clark wanted.

“Honestly, I was like, ‘Ehh, whatever makes it,'” Clark said pregame. “It’s all kind of very confusing, I didn’t even know until yesterday morning about the possibility of (clinching), because there’s so much going into it… so the sooner that happens, the better, I guess, I’m not really into the parties.”

More: Christie Sides becomes the first Fever coach to win this award

Charles Barkley: WNBA players have ‘petty jealousness’ toward Caitlin Clark

The Fever, who hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2016, clinched a spot in the postseason late Tuesday night. The Fever needed Chicago and Atlanta to lose, and both teams played on the West Coast at 10 p.m. ET. 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 even check my phone until the next morning, and that was when I had the most messages and stuff. It’s definitely cool, especially before — it really doesn’t have to come down to the wire for us.”

Others, including coach Christie Sides, were already asleep.

“I did set my alarm for midnight to wake up, but I actually just turned it off,” Sides said. “Didn’t even look. Then, this morning, I woke up to some really awesome text messages.”

There were a variety of reasons Sides decided to not actually look at the scores, she said. One of them included wanting to celebrate with the team — instead of by herself in the middle of the night.

Some parts of her even hoped either Atlanta or Chicago would win Tuesday night. That way, with a Fever win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night, they could’ve celebrated together with their fans.

“I just thought that we’ve got such amazing fans that are coming in, and just for them to be a part of that (playoff clinch) with a win,” Sides said. “I experienced that in Chicago (as an assistant coach), and, you know, the confetti that fall when you clinch like that was all the things I was thinking about. That was for our team who had never experienced it.”

Confetti or not, it’s a huge milestone for the surging 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 been through the ups and downs, including the 5-win seasons and games in a barn at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Now, they’re safely in the playoffs — and in conversation to advance further than the first round.

But there’s still more work to do.

“I’m happy about it, but you can’t just make the playoffs, you gotta do something in the playoffs,” Mitchell said. “… That’s what my mindset is. But it was a good moment for us.”

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever coach celebrated making WNBA playoffs