Caitlin Clark (Photo via Sporting News/Twitter)
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever continued on their winning streak when they picked up their second win following the Olympic break after beating the Seattle Storm 92-75.
The game did not go off without its fair share of controversy.
The biggest headline from the game was Caitlin Clark breaking the WNBA rookie assist record, but it would become a footnote to what happened to her in the third quarter.
Clark picked up her fifth technical foul on the season after the Indiana Fever star let her frustrations boil over when she struck the backboard after missing 3 in Sunday’s game vs. Seattle.
After the game, Caitlin Clark spoke to reporters and stated that the ref who gave her the technical foul had some harsh words for her.
“I got a technical for basically being mad at myself because I missed a 3, and then I went and hit the backboard, and he told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball,” Clark said after Indiana’s 92-75 win over the Storm on Sunday, per Indy Star. It reminded me of the technical I got in college, where I said ‘damn it,’ where it’s like a personal frustration. Had nothing to do with my team, had nothing to do with the reffing, had nothing to do with the other team. It’s just because I’m a competitor, and I felt like I should have been making more shots, so…
“But I think he fired me up to continue to play a lot harder. I thought we got a lot better after that. I want to thank him for that. But overall, I thought once we got to that media timeout around 5 minutes in the third quarter, I thought we all kind of took a breath. It was all chaos there for 2 ½ minutes. I think I could have done a better job of regaining my cool, but that’s like the fire and passion that just gets me going, it’s just finding a way to channel that, use that, and I think I did a real good job of that at the end of the third quarter, the start of the fourth quarter.”
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Clark, who leads the WNBA in assists at 8.3 per game, had 9 on Sunday and passed Ticha Penicheiro’s previous rookie record of 224 which was set in 1998.
Indiana, seventh in the WNBA standings, is now 13-15 on the year.
Caitlin Clark Facing One Game Suspension
Caitlin Clark might be the Draymond Green of the WNBA, just without the unnecessary violence, and she can actually shoot the basketball.
Indiana Fever has always been known as a fiery player, and this has gotten her in trouble with the refs many times.
On Sunday, her team may have won, but she also received her fifth technical of the year.
Two more technical fouls, and she will trigger an automatic one-game suspension.
That would come at a bad time, as the team is in the thick of things trying to make the playoffs.
Caitlin Clark Reveals Surprising Take On How She Feels To Be Back On Court After Long Break Due To The Olympics
Caitlin Clark (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The 2024 Paris Olympics concluded with Team USA achieving remarkable success. Despite recent criticism from basketball fans for not selecting Caitlin Clark on the roster, the American women’s basketball team made history by winning their 8th consecutive gold medal. Following the international competition, Clark, the standout player from the Indiana Fever, displayed impressive skills on the WNBA court.
In her first game after the Olympics against the Phoenix Mercury, the 22-year-old star player delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 29 points, 10 assists, and grabbing 5 rebounds in 36 minutes of play.
However, during a post-game interview, Clark expressed dissatisfaction with her performance. When asked by reporters, she admitted that she needs time to regain her dominance after the prolonged break due to the Olympics.
“I called for a sub six minutes in, if I’m being honest. And I was like, holy cow… I was like I need a quick minute here (laughing), because we were playing fast and then my defense isn’t as good and is kind of a liability for my team. So, just gotta get a second to breathe,” Clark said.
Numerous fans and other players, including a legendary former NBA player have praised Clark’s performance.
Kevin Garnett Awestruck by Clark’s Stunning Performance
Kevin Garnett, often considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time, was amazed by Clark’s skills during the first game after the Olympics. The former NBA player recently praised the Fever star in his latest post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
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“What if @CaitlinClark22’s Olympic break was the off-season adjustment for the league that @wnba rookies don’t get before their 1st season… shyt looked crazy out there yesterday…Can tell she was in the film room..” Garnett wrote.
Clark is regarded as one of the greatest collegiate players ever and has achieved numerous milestones. In the 2024 WNBA season, the former Iowa player averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 27 games. Seeing Clark’s performance in the upcoming game against the Seattle Storm will be exciting.
