Caitlin Clark takes HARD screen from Breanna Stewart 😬 | WNBA on ESPN
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New York Liberty Delivers Blunt NYC Message to Caitlin Clark After Consecutive Wins Over Fever
Caitlin Clark showed signs of improvement in her third WNBA game on Saturday vs. the New York Liberty. But it wasn’t enough as the Indiana Fever dropped a third straight game by a final score of 91-80.
Clark finished the game with 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the losing effort. She definitely seemed more comfortable out there in a hostile Barclays Center environment. But New York’s veteran leadership and top roster talent were too much for Clark and the 0-3 Fever.
The Liberty like to play a tough style of physical defense, which fits right in with the city they play in. And, as a result, the team sent a blunt NYC-themed message to Clark and the Fever after their second straight win over Indiana.
“The saga continued and we showed y’all how we do it in NY,” the Liberty said on X after the game.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks to drive past New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) in the first quarter at Barclays Center.
© Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The WNBA’s physicality has definitely become an issue for Caitlin Clark early on in her professional career. Breanna Stewart clobbered Clark with a physical screen on Saturday that sent Clark to the floor.
The good news is Caitlin Clark isn’t alone on her WNBA journey. Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu has made it clear that she’s here to support Clark along the way.
Hopefully, Clark doesn’t take the WNBA’s physicality personally throughout her rookie season.
Caitlin Clark’s first game in the WNBA was not a good one, going 5/15 from the field while turning the ball over 10 times in a blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun. Things didn’t go any better in her second game, either. Fans in Indianapolis were hyped up for her sold-out home debut against the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the New York Liberty. 
But, Caitlin Clark struggled again, committing more fouls (5) than made baskets (2) as they got blown out, 102-66. Now, everyone wants to blame her coach, Christie Sides for the struggle. There are hundreds of similar tweets on X, but the bottom line is that people are simply not happy on how Caitlin Clark is being used. And, who can blame them? Make no mistake, some of Caitlin Clark’s struggles are because she’s not playing well and everyone in the WNBA is really, really good. The level of physicality, length, athleticism, and defensive discipline is something she has never seen before. And, her team isn’t very good. There’s a reason the Fever, who went 13-27 last year, were in the position to draft Caitlin Clark first overall in the WNBA Draft every month. That all being said, Christie Sides is not putting Caitlin Clark and her teammates in a position to succeed. Simply put, in college, Caitlin Clark was dynamic with the ball, especially in transition. But, the Fever are not running in transition, and the ball is too often out of Caitlin Clark’s hands in the halfcourt. It’s not as if I think she should be shooting 30 times a game. But, she led the nation in assists last year too, and she’s an incredible passer. The bottom line is, if something doesn’t change quickly for the Fever, I can’t see Christie Sides lasting much long. And, since they have to play at the Liberty on Saturday, I can’t imagine them getting better any time soon.
It’s been a turbulent start to Caitlin Clark’s WNBA career. Clark had 20 points with 10 turnovers in the Fever’s 92-71 season-opening loss to the Sun on Tuesday. Thursday night’s bout vs. Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty was much worse. Indiana fell to 0-2 on the season with an ugly 102-66 loss to the Liberty. Clark finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists. Through two games, the Fever have been outscored by 57 points. Believe it or not, that’s a WNBA record through any team’s first two games. Fever coach Christie Sides has the greatest scorer in NCAA history on her roster and just can’t seem to find her easy opportunities to get buckets. Through just two games, Indiana fans are losing their patience. 
