Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? Caitlin Clark’s excellence on the court mirrors the moral of that famous story. Despite a rough start, where nearly everyone doubted her, Clark’s trajectory showed a gradual and steady upsurge. Her “fuel” turned out to be the rest she received during a month-long Olympics break.

Ever since her return, she’s been as explosive as ever. Thanks to her dazzling performances, she’s helped the Fever edge toward a playoff spot for the first time in nearly a decade. Along the way, she’s registered a series of historical records, from the single-season assist record to the regular-season assist record. However, not every one of her records is positive.

Caitlin Clark’s one step away from record

With only a few games left in the regular season, the Indiana Fever guard finds herself in a precarious situation. She’s just one whistle away from a game suspension. Clark picked up her latest, sixth technical foul in the fourth and final game against LA. She slapped the stanchion after being called for a foul. As she hit the hoop in frustration, the personal foul was upgraded to a technical.

“The offensive fouls are definitely surprising at times. I feel like I do get held and get quite a bit of contact throughout the game... it is what it is… I can use my quickness a little bit better,” Clark declared after a third game versus Aces.

Now, Clark is tied with Mercury guards Kahleah Copper and Diana Taurasi for the second-most technical fouls in the league. Natasha Cloud holds the league record with seven, which already led to her suspension. For Clark, this was her first technical foul in nearly a month. She last picked up her fifth on August 18th in a game against the Seattle Storm. But the repercussions are significant.

What are the consequences of increasing tech fouls?

The Indiana Fever standout now has to tread carefully in the final two games of her rookie regular season. If she picks up a seventh technical foul, she will face the same consequences as Natasha Cloud: a one-game suspension. This rule applies to the Fever’s remaining games against the Dallas Wings and the season finale against the Washington Mystics.

“We’re definitely going to have a conversation… We can’t afford to have her sitting out because of avoidable fouls,” said head coach Christie Sides after her fifth foul. According to the Indy Star, a Fever spokesperson conveyed that the technical foul count resets for the playoffs each season. So, Clark wouldn’t be suspended if she received a technical foul in the first round.

However, what if she continues to accumulate technical fouls? After the initial suspension, Clark would face fines for every 9th, 11th, 13th, and subsequent fouls. For each of those technicals, she would have to pay $400 for 1-3 fouls, then $800 for more, with the fines increasing as the streak continues. Will she be able to keep her emotions in check?