Defeat at Indiana Fever offers Caitlin Clark a chance to grow as a leader

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

The Indiana Fever superstar wasn't on the sidelines during Friday's game against the Minnesota Lynx, not struggling with foul trouble or recovering from an injury. She was in the thick of the action, 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 real 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 ground, Clark didn't get back up. She didn't even try. Instead, she stared up at the rafters of Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a few seconds while the Lynx played five-on-four on the other end, leading to a mid-range jump shot by Courtney Williams that extended Minnesota's lead to 10 points.

Clark thought she had been fouled. No foul was called. And the Fever's disastrous third quarter continued as the Lynx cruised to a 99-88 victory. Those tantrums from Clark, in which she complained vehemently to the referees and had to be substituted, were not decisive in the outcome of the game, but they certainly were not 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 only one.

Fever forward Aliyah Boston was assessed a technical foul early in 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 too much. The Lynx quickly took advantage of the Fever's confusion, turning a 5-point deficit early in the period into a 12-point lead early in 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 next level.

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

Mitchell scored 8 of her 23 points in the final period. Boston contributed 6 of their 20 points and recorded one block. In the final 10 minutes, however, it was Clark who emerged as the main catalyst.

Once she regained her composure, she changed the game. Clark scored or assisted on 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Fever close the gap to one point, but Indiana could not get any further. With the Fever trailing 78-77, Clark blocked Alanna Smith's jump shot and secured the loose ball on the ensuing 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 other 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 came at the hands of Minnesota and Collier, who was brilliant once again. The four-time All-Star finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, the highest score of the game.

Clark called the Lynx “the hardest team to defend in the league” because of their passing skills, and noted that Collier wasn't the only one making big plays. Bridget Carleton sank three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, preventing a potential 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 big reason they're now tipped to be the No. 2 seed in 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 brief 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 change. They're just asking her to evolve.

(Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)