Defeat at Indiana Fever offers Caitlin Clark a probability to grow as a pacesetter

INDIANAPOLIS – The game was on, but Caitlin Clark decided to not participate.

The Indiana Fever superstar wasn't on the sidelines during Friday's game against the Minnesota Lynx, not fighting foul trouble or recovering from an injury. She was within the thick of the motion, lying on the court, and just gave up. It was as if Clark was in a video game and the player's controller had broken. But this wasn't virtual. This was the actual game.

This was a matchup — and a possible first-round playoff preview — between two MVP candidates and their teams. But Clark's composure was gone. After Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier blocked Clark's shot and sent her to the bottom, Clark didn't get back up. She didn't even try. Instead, she stared up on the rafters of Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a couple of seconds while the Lynx played five-on-four on the opposite end, resulting in a mid-range jump shot by Courtney Williams that prolonged Minnesota's result in 10 points.

Clark thought she had been fouled. No foul was called. And the Fever's disastrous third quarter continued because the Lynx cruised to a 99-88 victory. Those tantrums from Clark, wherein she complained vehemently to the referees and needed to be substituted, weren’t decisive within the end result of the sport, but they actually weren’t helpful.

“I think I could have controlled my emotions a little better,” said Clark, who finished with 25 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.

Caitlin Clark congratulates the referee on his correct decision.

She's fed up 😭pic.twitter.com/91BViQWD4E

— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) 7 September 2024

Fever coach Christie Sides appreciated Clark's fiery nature but was more direct.

“It reminds me of Diana Taurasi,” Sides said. “So when she's upset or angry, we've been working on that and trying to figure out how to overcome those moments. I was afraid she was going to get a (technical foul) in the third quarter, but thank God she didn't. But that's development, and she has to learn that my point guard has to keep a cool head in those moments.”

Clark wasn't the just one.

Fever forward Aliyah Boston was assessed a technical foul early within the third quarter after arguing with a referee over what she thought was a missed foul call. Of course, that didn't change the referee's mind, and Sides admitted the Fever let the referee's decision sway them an excessive amount of. The Lynx quickly took advantage of the Fever's confusion, turning a 5-point deficit early within the period right into a 12-point lead early within the fourth quarter.

What could the Fever learn from their lack of composure? Kelsey Mitchell didn't mince her words.

“I think from a leadership perspective, we should come together as a group and say, 'Shut up and work. Leave the referees out of it,'” said Mitchell, the Fever's longest-tenured player. “Come to the next play. Come to the next action. Come to the next set.”

And theoretically reach the following level.

Three nights ago, the Fever clinched a playoff spot for the primary time since 2016, and from Sides' perspective, Friday felt like a playoff atmosphere. The crowd was loud and the sport was physical. Nothing was easy, and within the fourth quarter, the Fever responded like a team that finally got that.

Mitchell scored 8 of her 23 points in the ultimate period. Boston contributed 6 of their 20 points and recorded one block. In the ultimate 10 minutes, nevertheless, it was Clark who emerged because the essential catalyst.

Once she regained her composure, she modified the sport. Clark scored or assisted on 14 points within the fourth quarter to assist the Fever close the gap to at least one point, but Indiana couldn’t get any further. With the Fever trailing 78-77, Clark blocked Alanna Smith's jump shot and secured the loose ball on the following quick breakaway, but she threw a ill-advised pass toward Temi Fagbenle that was easily intercepted by Natisha Hiedeman.

“Honestly, I thought we played really well in the fourth period,” Clark said. “My loss of the ball in transition was what I felt ended our momentum.”

Caitlin Clark makes it a 3-point play in INDY 🍿

The arena erupts!

Lynx fever on ION 📺 pic.twitter.com/rConwYDwAA

— WNBA (@WNBA) 7 September 2024

Williams responded on the opposite side with a three-pointer that increased the Lynx's lead back to 4 points and handed the Fever their second loss in nine games after the Olympics. Both of Indiana's losses got here by the hands of Minnesota and Collier, who was good once more. The four-time All-Star finished the sport with 26 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks, the very best rating of the sport.

Clark called the Lynx “the hardest team to defend in the league” due to their passing skills, and noted that Collier wasn't the just one making big plays. Bridget Carleton sank three 3-pointers within the fourth quarter, stopping a possible Fever comeback.

Mitchell said the Fever could learn from Minnesota's play and the composure they showed at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which also acted as a pressure cooker when Indiana made its late surge. The Lynx were undeterred, and that's a giant reason they're now tipped to be the No. 2 seed within the WNBA playoffs.

“(Minnesota) is the benchmark,” Mitchell said. “And if you want to compete at the next level and be part of the playoffs – not just get there, not just be there, but make a run and make an impact – we have to use that as an advantage and know that they are the best. And to beat the best, you have to compete every night.”

And in every game.

Clark was reminded of that lesson on Friday when, for a transient moment, she was unable to perform at her best.

“Yes, I think there is a limit and sometimes your own passion, your own emotion can get to you,” Clark said. “But that's not something I would ever change.”

And as Sides said, the Fever aren't asking her to vary. They're just asking her to evolve.