Home/NBA

USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The higher you soar, the louder you fall. The last game for the Indiana Fever saw them winning over Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury. Primarily, the 15-point trail was ended by the golden rookie Caitlin Clark. While they would have wished to do something similar tonight, the team sorely lost to keep up with the four Olympian starters on the Aces. Consequently, as Kelsey Plum made her season-high against the first overall pick, the fans now question their loyalty.

The T-Mobile Arena saw a WNBA record-crushing attendance for regular season games since 1999. Surprisingly, 20,366 fans joined the Fever vs the Aces, mostly wearing the No. 22 jersey to cheer on the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. However, there was another star that took the spotlight as the rookie failed horribly. Not A’ja Wilson, but Kelsey Plum took the throne tonight with 34 points. A whopping percentage of which she grabbed in the final 10 minutes of the regulation.

USA Today via Reuters

Everyone had one thing in mind when Caitlin Clark did not take even a single shot in the fourth quarter. They were head coach Christie Sides’ words. A few games back, Sides made a ‘blunder’ by pointing out that her rookie was not taking a lot of shots. Despite the coach pushing the No. 22 guard, she only took 12 shots in the entire game. The worst part was that she only converted 4 of those shots.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Result? The fans are back to troll Caitlin Clark despite her double-double of 13 points and 11 assists.

Flying Caitlin Clark goes back in the cage as fans oppose her and the Fever head coach

The win against the Mercury Phoenix was indeed worth the standing ovation that the rookie got as she left the Footprint Arena. However, her lost magic just two nights later pulled a nerve for the Indiana followers. One fan took to the X platform to show their disappointment in the 6-ft guard. They were loud and clear as they suggested that the 22-year-old Fever rookie is overrated. They also added their opinion that Kelsey Plum is far better than her.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“CAITLIN CLARK IS OVERRATED…She’s not better than Kelsey Plum”

Another one came to criticize the rookie who has only played 20 games in her WNBA career so far. Justifying their disappointment, they mentioned how Kelsey Plum is playing more like Caitlin Clark. The Aces guard picked up 34 points in 11 of 20 shooting from the field. Her shots from beyond the arc were also brilliant as she accounted for over 54% accuracy from that mark. On the other hand, Caitlin Clark was only 1 of 7 from the three-point line. The fan also mentioned how the 2x WNBA champion is not afraid of taking shots.

“Kelsey Plum plays like Caitlin Clark should. She is not shy about shooting that rock at all!”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

One person took it to the comment section to bring out the All-Star game. They said that they wanted to see the event on July 28 so they could catch Caitlin Clark playing with a better team. They indirectly suggested that the rookie who is dubbed as the generational talent is not proving that label in the WNBA. The fan put the blame for the same on the coach and the rest of the Fever team.

“Can’t wait to watch the All Star game so I can see Caitlin Clark play with capable players and a decent coach.”
A basketball fan expressed their dismay by pointing out one of the worst quarters that Clark has ever played. In the fourth quarter, she did not take any shots. Still, she managed to pick up multiple fouls and turnovers. The follower attached a gif asking, “What are we doing?” while they mentioned the reason for Indiana losing by 19 points.
“So, @IndianaFever are down 6 going into the 4th Qtr and Caitlin Clark doesn’t get a single field goal attempt in the final quarter and they end up losing by 19.”
An X user and Aces fan mentioned what Kelsey Plum was thinking when the 22-year-old was guarding the veteran. In the clip that they attached, Shannon Sharpe who was greeted the Under Armour’s Dawg after the win was saying the food’s names out loud. They suggested that this is how Plum cooked Caitlin Clark.

Tonight was another example of how quickly the WNBA fans are switching sides. While Caitlin Clark’s team did not come out at the top, three of their starters again had double-digit scores. Aliyah Boston too had a double-double along with the rookie. Only time will tell if Indiana will ever get the best of Las Vegas this season with two more matchups remaining for them.