Indiana Fever Ramp Up Caitlin Clark and Playoff Optimism

Let's begin with the significance of the win. Anxiety had begun to set in surrounding the team's hold on postseason positioning following back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Lynx. But the pendulum swung completely in the other direction against Seattle.

Not only did the Fever pick up the victory, they did so while dropping a competitor in the standings. In addition, the Los Angeles Sparks also lost, meaning Indiana moved up from 8th to 6th while putting more cushion between them and the closest team on the outside looking in.

This as they made the aforementioned losses to the Lynx look better in retrospect—considering Indiana was able to hang tough with the best team in the league.

All in all, the blowout of Seattle went a long way toward solidifying the Fever a playoff berth and ensuring the squad will be rewarded for the fight and resilience it has shown through adversity all season.

Caitlin Clark Progresses in on Court Work Toward Return

Not lost in the celebratory nature of the evening was what Fever head coach Stephanie White had to say about Clark's return progress before the contest.

White revealed that the star point guard once again participated in the team's walk through and added that a test of Clark's endurance in practices is the next step toward clearance.

"I want to see her continue to work to not just build endurance, but to be able to handle contact, 94 feet, as it's going to be in-game. And to be able to do that and sustain from an endurance standpoint. And that's going to take multiple practices to make sure that there's no regression. And as most of us know, as we get fatigued, we look different. And see how she plays through fatigue," White stated.

And while actual team practice time is fleeting, White indicated Indiana can replicate those situations as Clark continues her ramp up.

When (and if) Clark returns to game action remains to be seen, but her teammates bought her even more time in handling the Storm. And in the process, kept both the Fever's playoff aspirations and hope alive.