Indiana Fever HC Comes Clean on Caitlin Clark Decision Making as She Makes Bold Claim After Liberty Win

Do you know the Indiana Fever still have a legit shot at representing the East in the Commissioner’s Cup Final? You’re probably thinking, “Wait, how?” Well, Indiana just has to beat Connecticut. That’s step one. Then they need Atlanta to lose one of their two remaining Cup games. But if both Indiana and Atlanta finish 4-1, Atlanta advances. However, if it ends up being Indiana and New York at 4-1, the Fever will head to the Finals. It’s a pretty juicy spot to be in, right? It’s all thanks to Caitlin Clark’s 3-point masterclass that helped the Fever snatch a huge win against the New York Liberty.

In her first game back from injury, Clark came in like a firecracker – like she couldn’t wait to light up the court again. She did exactly that. Her fifth career 30+ points game came against the undefeated Liberty as the reigning champs fell for the first time this season. Along with Caitlin, Kelsey Mitchell balled out with 22 points. Lexie Hull had a solid 14. On the other side, Sabrina Ionescu cooked for 34, and Breanna Stewart added 24. But despite their efforts, it wasn’t enough.

The Fever had something else going – energy, momentum, and a #22-shaped spark that just wouldn’t quit. While everyone’s talking about Caitlin’s ridiculous 3-point barrage and how she popped off in her return game, head coach Stephanie White made a pretty bold claim about it all.

Talking about what she expected from Clark’s comeback, White said in the post-game press conference, “Don’t we always expect that type of game for Caitlin (30 pt triple double)…I knew her adrenaline would be high to start…she’s been itching to get back out there…when she gets hot, it’s a streak…she carried us in the 1st half and everyone else carried us in the 2nd half.”

via Imago

If there’s one thing we know about Clark, it’s not just that she’s good at this game. She lives for it. All that time she was sidelined, she wasn’t really off. She was hyping up her teammates, helping the coaches, and basically staying locked in from the bench. She was even spotted itching to get back on the court during pregame warmups, so much so that she was “dying to touch the ball.” 

It tells you everything. She was beyond ready to storm back into action and when she finally got the green light, she made sure everyone felt that fire. Plus, we’ve seen that hunger before. After being sidelined during the first preseason game, she came out at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and nailed a logo 3, from behind that iconic “22” on the court.

After the game, she laughed it off, saying, “I didn’t plan to shoot that logo three… but why not launch one?” And that decision was spot on. Speaking of which, White had high praise for her athletes’ decision-making. “I thought her (Clark’s) decision making was great (during clutch time)…that’s what she does,” she said.

With only two timeouts left, the Fever coaching staff had warned the players at halftime not to allow the Liberty to open the third quarter with a run. But New York still came out swinging and scored the first nine points to go up 59-53 with 7:31 left in the third. That could’ve been a turning point but Indiana stayed locked in. They just adjusted. They responded with a 25-3 run over the next five minutes, including a 19‑0 stretch.During crunch time, Clark didn’t go hunting for hero shots. She kept the pace, dished it out, made the smart reads, and kept the Liberty’s defense on their heels.  She finished with 32 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds as Indiana marched past New York in a 102-88 statement win. In the process, CC also picked up her first tech of the season.

Caitlin Clark returned to the court for the first time since suffering a quad strain and  gave us everything you could ask for. She opened the game fiercely, scoring nine points in just 38 seconds in the first quarter. But then, things got a little spicy.

With 4:37 left in the second quarter, Clark clearly disagreed with an out-of-bounds call. She sprinted over to the baseline, arms raised, visibly upset, and had a few pointed words for the officials. Fever head coach immediately called for a challenge, but before that could even go through, the refs hit Clark with her first technical foul of the season.

That’s when her coaches calmly pulled her aside and guided her to the bench. She sat there, clearly frustrated. And to make things worse, the challenge didn’t go Indiana’s way, and Sabrina Ionescu knocked down the technical free throw. So what does that mean for Clark? Well, under WNBA rules, players can get up to eight technicals in a season (up from seven last year) before facing a one-game suspension without pay. Last season, Clark picked up six techs, which cost her $1,800 in fines – just one tech away from a suspension

This year, she’s already at one, meaning a $200 fine is probably incoming. But despite the tech, Clark posted the best half of her pro career. She had 25 points before halftime, including six 3-pointers. But this also reminds us that earlier this season, Clark said that she was aiming to pick up just two technicals all year. She’s already halfway there. Will she stick to that plan?