Caitlin Clark did not draw the fouls she was looking for during the Indiana Fevers' 99-88 loss to the Minnesota Linx on Friday.
After the game, Clark spoke of instances in which she was hit by opposing players but the referees did not blow the whistle. Clark said those moments had an emotional impact on her that she hopes to better manage.
“I think I got fouled a couple times in the second half on midrange jumpers,” Clark said. “It happens. Sometimes they get fouled, sometimes they don't. It is what it is. I think I got a little comfortable with midrange jumpers, but I think I got hit a little bit and honestly I was trying to pretend like I was getting fouled.
“I mean, I think I could have done a better job of controlling my own emotions.”
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark smiles as she looks at the team's bench after making a pass to the basket that led to a score in the second half against the Dallas Wings, Sept. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
But Clark added that he doesn't think his emotions need to change.
“I think there is a limit and sometimes passion and emotion can get to you,” Clark said. “But that's something I would never change and nobody on our team would change.”
At one point during the third quarter, Minnesota's Napheesa Collier knocked Clark to the ground. Collier's arms appeared to hit Clark in the top of the head and shoulder area as Clark attempted to score in the paint.
The referees did not call a foul against Collier and Clark lay on the ground with her arms outstretched at her sides.
Clark was in no hurry to get back on his feet and the Lynx were able to drive down the court on a quick counterattack and score. That put the Fever in a 10-point hole from which they never climbed out.
Clark's coach, Christie Sides, also addressed the incident after the game.
“When she's upset or angry, that's what we've been working on, trying to figure out how to get through those moments,” Sides said. “She has to learn that in those moments, I need my point guard to be level-headed, to help us do whatever we need to do offensively, and if it's not a foul like you thought, you have to come back.”
“There is a reaction to all our actions and we have to make sure we don't put ourselves in a worse situation with those kinds of moments.”
Clark has had to control her emotions quickly since coming to the WNBA regarding hard fouls.
Last week, Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields sent Clark flying to the ground for a foul that was later ruled a flagrant 1. After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her notifications list on Instagram, which included a number of hateful comments from one user.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever reacts after a flagrant foul committed by Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024, in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
On June 1, Clark suffered an infamous illegal hit to the hip by Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter. Carter refused to answer questions about the incident at the post-match press conference, but used her social media to repeatedly criticize Clark.
Sky rookie Angel Reese hit Clark in the head with her arm while trying to block a pass during a game on June 16.
Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah believes the Fever should try to address the problem by signing a player who can punish opponents who are too physical with Clark.
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Chicago Sky's Diamond DeShields will face Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on August 30, 2024. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
“If I owned Indiana Fever, I'd put a real goon in there to protect it,” Noah told Fox News Digital during an interview on “NBA Night” in the Emirates Suite at the US Open in New York on Wednesday.
Noah acknowledged that Clark may be getting picked on by opposing players because they are aware of the talent she brings to the table to make a difference on the court.
“Sometimes I feel like she's getting beat up because she's a very talented person,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we're in the business of winning games, so if I'm the owner [of the Indiana Fever]”I'm getting a real enforcer there.”
However, Noah believes the physical treatment Clark has received has been great for the WNBA.
“I think it's great,” Noah said when asked specifically about the fouls against Chicago. “I think it's all entertainment.”
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Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark reacts during the second half against the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 10, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
ESPN announcer Holly Rowe expressed a similar sentiment to Noah's in An interview with Fox News Digital last month.
“I think it's good for the game,” Rowe said. “I love it because it's supposed to be salty, that's why it's competitive, that's why it's a sport.”
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spoke out against players who have undermined the positive attention Clark's rookie season has brought to the WNBA this year during an appearance on the “Bill Simmons Podcast” on Wednesday.
“These women, and I'm a WNBA fan, couldn't have screwed up the Caitlin Clark thing any more if they tried,” Barkley said in a statement. The show“This girl is unbelievable,” Barkley said. “The amount of attention, the amount of stares, that she's brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousy, and you say to yourself, 'Damn, what's going on here?'”
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