PHOENIX — Caitlin Clark was on the bench, for as soon as, clapping as the ultimate seconds ticked right here Sunday. The Indiana Fever rookie celebrated an 88-82 win over the Phoenix Mercury with teammates, after which she was surrounded by tv cameras and photographers. As she spoke to an ESPN reporter, Diana Taurasi walked previous 20 toes away, headed for the house locker room.
This contest was massive for the Fever, its first victory over a profitable crew in 20 tries, but it surely additionally offered a before-and-after image that was unimaginable to disregard. Clark, 22, is the hotshot rookie, the way forward for the WNBA. Phoenix’s Taurasi, 42, is the league’s profession scoring chief, somebody who has a road named after her outdoors the sector.
In entrance of a sold-out crowd at Footprint Middle, Clark was regular over 39 minutes. Though she shot 4 of 14, she completed simply shy of her first skilled triple-double with 15 factors, 9 rebounds and 12 assists. “My gosh … she’s simply an unbelievable passer,” Indiana coach Christie Sides mentioned. “She simply finds the performs that have to occur.”
Taurasi posted 19 factors, 3 assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes. Two nights earlier, in a house win over the Los Angeles Sparks, Taurasi had buried 5 3-pointers. In opposition to the Fever, she shot 2 of 10 from deep, by no means discovering an offensive rhythm.
a close to triple-double from Caitlin Clark in immediately’s win over Phoenix 😈 pic.twitter.com/KSJriLAb3l
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 30, 2024
Other than the courtside interview, throughout which she praised her crew’s resilience, Clark didn’t discuss to reporters after the sport. Sides mentioned the guard didn’t really feel properly and wanted to satisfy with the coach. It’s additionally a good wager Clark didn’t wish to be put into place to reply questions on beating Taurasi, the rising star toppling a legend. In some methods, this has been a problem for the whole Indiana franchise.
This weekend Sides twice was requested to evaluate Clark’s efficiency. Twice she targeted her reply extra on the Fever’s youth and their collective progress. After Indiana’s loss to the Seattle Storm on Thursday, Clark met with reporters alongside teammate Aliyah Boston. After reporters directed a fifth straight query to Clark, Clark waved her hand and mentioned, “Ask Aliyah a query.”
If anybody can relate, it’s most likely Taurasi, however this comes with an asterisk. Twenty years in the past, she was in the same scenario. Like Clark at Iowa, Taurasi had completed her school profession at Connecticut as one of the best participant within the sport. She was the No. 1 decide of the WNBA Draft and was anticipated to raise the league. The distinction was media consideration. Since becoming a member of the league, Clark has been the main focus of numerous debates — some on basketball, others on race. She has realized that something she says can turn into a nationwide headline or dialog.
Maybe that explains her response Saturday when requested in regards to the WNBA All-Star Sport, which takes place July 20 in Phoenix. Regardless that Clark ranked second in latest fan voting, she didn’t need any a part of the dialog. “I don’t know if I’ll be there,’’ she mentioned after observe at Arizona State College. “I’m not going to speak in hypotheticals. My focus is on taking part in basketball. All that takes care of itself.”
In the identical media session, Clark was requested for her first reminiscence of Taurasi, a troublesome job contemplating she was solely 2 when Taurasi first joined the WNBA. However after pondering a second, Clark mentioned Taurasi was all the time somebody she related to girls’s skilled basketball. She appreciated the depth and hearth during which Taurasi performed, and referred to as Sunday’s sport an opportunity to compete in opposition to one of the best, “a dream come true.”
“That’s anyone I grew up idolizing and looking out as much as and desirous to be like in the future,’’ Clark mentioned. “I don’t know if there’s going to be many individuals to have the ability to do it like her.”
As a Phoenix rookie in 2004, Taurasi immediately grew to become the face of the franchise. Her first dwelling sport drew 10,493 followers, essentially the most for an opener in three years. Earlier than many highway video games that season, Taurasi met pregame and talked with a choose group of fifty followers. Former Phoenix common supervisor Seth Sulka instructed reporters on the time that the eye was in contrast to something he had seen within the WNBA.
“I beloved it,” Taurasi mentioned when requested about this Sunday. “I simply beloved to play basketball. I didn’t care an excessive amount of about outdoors noise or what individuals considered me. I loved each minute. Being a rookie was cool, man. It was enjoyable. You possibly can do no matter you need, you didn’t know any higher. Being in Sports activities Illustrated, Slam … ESPN the Journal.”
Taurasi glanced at a younger reporter within the room.
“You’re too younger. You don’t know what I’m speaking about,” she mentioned.
Like Clark, Taurasi nonetheless needed to cope with bodily play, with veterans attempting to place her in her place. Opponents revered her expertise, however they made her earn their respect. On April 5, whereas offering TV commentary in the course of the girls’s Remaining 4, Taurasi recalled a “Welcome to the WNBA” second and the way an intimidating defender named DeLisha Milton-Jones twice elbowed her within the face. It arrange a rivalry of kinds.
Throughout a latest telephone dialog, Milton-Jones, the coach of the ladies’s program at Previous Dominion, laughed. She had seen Taurasi’s feedback on social media. “I’m like, ‘Invite me in your present so I can inform them the opposite facet,”’ she mentioned.
Milton-Jones was conscious of Taurasi’s talent. Within the WNBA, she noticed it up shut. How Taurasi manipulated the sport together with her imaginative and prescient. How she understood spacing and timing. How she utilized a degree guard’s contact to a number of positions. However what impressed Milton-Jones most was how Taurasi arrived with tips that took most rookies a season or two to study.
Milton-Jones mentioned that when she elevated for a bounce shot, Taurasi would poke her within the abdomen, simply arduous sufficient to make her flinch and throw off her shot. On offense, Taurasi would come off a pindown and attempt to jam Milton-Jones to attempt to create area.
“She would actually punch me within the abdomen,’’ Milton-Jones mentioned. “Then she would blast off vast open. My coach is yelling at me like, ‘You’ll want to be guarding her!’ And I’m like, ‘She simply punched me within the abdomen!’ She was feisty and artful and she or he had this vet savvy-esque play to her sport.”
(Responded Taurasi outdoors the media room Sunday: “I feel it was my upbringing. Italian Argentines, we’re sneaky. We’re all the time looking for a bonus one way or the other. Within the sport of basketball, there’s video games inside the sport. And once you’re not bodily gifted as a lot as different individuals, it’s a must to discover little methods to get that edge.”)
Carrie Graf, who coached Taurasi her first two professional seasons, mentioned Taurasi’s greatest flaw was with the referees. She was too harsh. As an alternative of yelling of their faces, she instructed Taurasi to make use of her charisma. To do not forget that officers are individuals. However there was no questioning her readiness.
“I can image this shot prefer it’s {a photograph},’’ Graf mentioned on the telephone from Australia. “She’d get within the lane and she or he’d be up in opposition to the tall timbers. She’s on the appropriate facet and she or he prolonged her proper arm out prefer it was an elevated hook shot. After which together with her left hand, the shot blocker is coming in, and whereas she’s within the air, she goes up and grabs the shot blocker’s arm to clear some area so she may put the ball on the rim. Girls simply weren’t doing that stuff again then.”
Diana Taurasi drives in opposition to Caitlin Clark in Sunday’s sport. (Chris Coduto / Getty Pictures)
Clark has this high quality as properly, however as an alternative of hanging within the air, it’s pulling up from the emblem, a trademark transfer that has made her well-known inside the sport. She did this twice Sunday, igniting the group. Even in Phoenix, the “Clark” jerseys outnumbered Phoenix gamers’ in lots of sections of the sector.
Caitlin Clark exhibiting off her deep vary with one other brand three 🎯 pic.twitter.com/IX8wnVb3g4
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 30, 2024
Clark continues to be navigating this transition. Like she has all season, she compelled too many passes Sunday, leading to 6 turnovers. She tried a behind-the-back go that had little likelihood. She misfired on a lead go in transition. She misplaced the ball and fell to the courtroom.
Earlier than the sport (Clark meets with reporters earlier than each contest), she had mentioned her greatest adjustment had merely been the tempo of every thing. After shedding to South Carolina within the NCAA nationwide championship, Clark returned to Iowa Metropolis for a day and “then my life type of modified,” she mentioned.
After the draft, Clark moved to Indianapolis. Might 3, she performed her first preseason sport. She hasn’t slowed since, taking part in 20 video games for the 8-12 Fever. The thrilling half is she is aware of she has room to develop, mastering particulars that may elevate her sport. The irritating half is she hasn’t had a lot observe time to take action.
“I needed to study sport to sport,” Clark mentioned. “That’s type of been the most important adjustment.”
Taurasi predicted as a lot. She didn’t imply it as a shot at Clark and the league’s gifted rookies. Solely that this transition typically takes time. In a Phoenix radio interview, Taurasi in contrast it to a school quarterback adjusting to the NFL. After Sunday’s loss, she expressed how a lot she respects how Clark has dealt with it.
“It’s wonderful what Caitlin has been capable of do,” Taurasi mentioned. “Her brief profession thus far has been nothing wanting outstanding. The one factor that I actually love about her is she loves the sport. You’ll be able to inform she’s put the work in. And even all through her brief WNBA profession, it’s been quite a lot of strain, quite a lot of issues thrown at her, she retains exhibiting up and retains getting higher each single sport. Her future is tremendous vibrant.”
(High picture: Kate Frese / NBAE by way of Getty Pictures)