With twelve games remaining, the Indiana Fever got back on track by winning their fourth victory in their last five games (92-75) on Sunday against the Seattle Storm. Enough to get a little closer to the playoffs with twelve games remaining, even if the team's phenomenon Caitlin Clark could miss a match in the final sprint, because of his behavior.
The rookie, who once again shone on the court by scoring 23 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, setting a new precocity record, was nevertheless caught up by her demons by conceding the fifth technical foul of the season.
This time, Caitlin Clark cracked by violently hitting the support of the base of the opposing backboard after a missed action. A gesture deemed disrespectful which therefore earned her a technical foul.
“I got a technical foul for being mad at myself because I just missed a 3-pointer. I went to the backboard and hit it. The referee told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.”, she said after the match. “It reminded me of a technical foul I got in college because I said something that was out of personal frustration. It had nothing to do with my team, the refereeing or the other team. It's just, because I'm a competitor, and I thought I needed to make more shots.”
A passion to channel
Caitlin Clark added that the team ultimately behaved better after that moment, and that the misconduct did not have a negative impact but instead caused a surge of pride among the entire group.
Where the situation could hurt him, however, is if Caitlin Clark picks up two more technical fouls before the end of the regular season, since a seventh technical foul would cost her a one-game suspension and a fine equal to that unplayed game.
“We will discuss it”, confided coach Christie Sides. “I don't need her to miss a game… Clearly, we're going to have to talk about it. She's just a fierce competitor. I don't want to take that side of her away. That's what makes the difference in who she is.”
