INDIANAPOLIS — There are many things that make Caitlin Clark a unique basketball player, from her dazzling passing ability to her seemingly limitless range. But what has so often endeared her to fans is the passion she plays with.
As much as that can be a blessing, though, it can also also be a curse.
The Fever and Lynx entered Friday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with matching 7-1 records since the Olympic break, pitting two of the WNBA’s hottest teams against one another.
After a strong first half that saw Indiana hold a five-point advantage, the Fever came out of the locker room and let emotion get the best of them. The Lynx showed why they’re one of the league’s best, outscoring the hosts 29-12, while Indy looked every bit the young team it is.
Foul calls were questioned with increasing disbelief. Emotions continued to rise as Clark and Aliyah Boston focused as much attention on the officials as the game itself, leading to the latter getting her third technical of the season in the third frame.
Through it all, the Lynx remained poised and took control of the game as the Fever lost their composure.
“That felt like playoff basketball and that’s what I just kept telling our players,” said Indiana head coach Christie Sides. “They’re a good veteran team. They came out in the third quarter and they got in our a– and when they did, we didn’t handle it very well.”
The Fever have played with passion all year and, after struggling earlier in the season, had largely learned how to harness it and make it a positive. There was no greater example of that than their win over the Sun.
Friday, though, was their biggest game of the season. Minnesota could be a future playoff matchup for Indiana.
Fans turned up aware of the stakes and ready for another momentous win. They helped power the Fever to a strong opening quarter and first-half lead, responding to the team’s five first-half 3-pointers — three of those from Clark — with roars of approval as the sold-out crowd continued to create one of the best atmospheres in the league this season.
But when things started to snowball in the third quarter, they followed the lead of their star point guard, who was toeing — and crossing — the line between playing with emotion and playing emotionally.
“I think there’s definitely a line,” Clark said. “I was frustrated and thought I got fouled a couple times in the second half on mid-range jump shots. It happens. Sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t. It is what it is… I think I could have done a little bit better job controlling my own emotions.
“I think there’s a line and sometimes your passion, your emotion can get to you, but that’s not something I would ever change or anybody on our team would ever change.”
Finding that equilibrium has been the challenge for Sides and her coaching staff this season. More often than not, they’ve helped Clark excel while still being able to display her trademark competitive fire.
The third quarter on Friday, though, was not an example of that. She forced mid-range jumpers while looking for fouls, committed turnovers, and, at the low point, laid on the ground in frustration after having her shot blocked, allowing the Lynx to score and take a double-digit lead.
Caitlin Clark admitted she let her emotions get the better of her on Friday against the Lynx
“I think I could have done a little bit better job controlling my own emotions.”
This was probably the low point of the night as Minnesota scores after Clark lays on the ground pic.twitter.com/XDoO7s3AKu
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) September 7, 2024
“She’s just so passionate,” Sides said. “Her competitive spirit, it reminds me of a Diana Taurasi. She’s that. So, when she’s upset or mad — that’s what we’ve been working on, trying to figure out how to get past those moments.
“She’s got to learn that, in those moments, I need my point guard to have a cool head, get us in whatever we need to be in offensively and if it’s not a foul call that you thought, you have to get back,” Sides continued. “We’re working on those things. That’s what a young team, that’s what you do is you try to talk about these moments, watch them on video, show them where ‘This just can’t happen because it caused this, this and this.’
“There’s a reaction to all of our actions and we have to make sure we don’t put ourselves in a worse spot with those kind of moments.”
The good news is that the Fever will immediately get the chance to learn from Friday’s loss. On Sunday, they return home against the Dream before hosting two games in three days against the defending champion Aces, games that will also likely have plenty of emotion and passion with them.
Now, it’s about using the loss to the Lynx as a learning tool moving forward.
“I think we hold ourselves together as a group and say ‘shut up and work and leave the refs out of it and get to the next play.’ Get to the next play, get to the next action, get to the next set. Use this as fuel for our next game,” said Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell.
“As a leader, you want to make sure you stay on a confident and positive note. We already saw what the result was tonight, so use it and go to the next page.”
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
