After concluding a 39-game college basketball season and going pro within a week, Caitlin Clark had her fair share of disappointment in the first leg of the regular season when the Indiana Fever put out a 1-8 record in the first month. The lag was visible on the court, for Clark had been playing for a year without a pause. But the Olympic break, as hoped, would turn it all around.

Clark and the Fever squad have been nothing short of a dominant force since their return to the court. Topping the offensive ranking for the season post-break, the team managed to grab a playoff spot for the first time since 2016, soon after recording their first .500 in 8 years as well. So talking about the Fever’s this rise to glory, Caitlin Clark shared insights in a recent post-game presser.

It is one game at a time for the Fever. While they still have quite some things to learn, focusing just on the current game seems to have kept the team going. “The main focus is every game right in front of us. That’s what Christie’s been preaching too,” she says after revealing the team did not make much of the fact that they had made playoffs with their 100-93 win against the Dallas Wings.

“Every single game matters, every single game we want to improve,” the rookie adds. She examples their game against the LA Sparks for one. Though a 93-86 win, Clark admits, the team had “kinda had a careless start,” with 7 of their 18 turnovers recorded in the first quarter alone. “we just went crisp and I thought that kind of carried throughout the game and obviously, we found a way to win but I thought it could have been a lot better for us,” she admits.

Hence, they are, for the lack of a better word, improving every step of the way which is leading them to the peak. But they are definitely hungry for more.

Caitlin Clark and team bringing their dreams to life

A subtle beam of smiles could be seen all around during the Fever’s pregame warmups against Lynx after defeating Dallas for this year’s playoffs berth. Kelsey Mitchell, at the forefront with her first taste of the postseason, Clark with her exceptional rookie season, and 9-year vet Erica Wheeler, with a fruitful second stint with the franchise. But the smiles and excitement seem only limited to the fans. For, as Clark relays and Wheeler attests, the focus is on the present.

“The job is not done. 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,” Wheeler had said before the Fever played against the Sparks. The Fever guard has made 4 playoff games, 1 with Indiana in 2016. The only next time they make it again, she is back with them.

The Fever has 5 more games left after losing only their 2nd game post-Olympic break to the Minnesota Lynx. 7-2 they stand. The winning streak may have been broken with that, but Mitchell and Clark have been doing wonders for the team, leading the league in scoring 2nd and 3rd in the last 9 games.

Now, with a handful of home games and an away at Washington left to play, Caitlin Clark & Co. seem ready to give their best to every game and carry on the momentum. Playoffs or not.