Indiana has had two first-overall picks back-to-back in Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. Consequently, they always knew that they had their work laid out for them. While we have seen glimpses of great chemistry between the two, being compared to one of the greatest-ever duos certainly takes the cake. Seemingly, everyone compares the two Fever talents to Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. According to the Indiana Fever head coach, at least.
In her post-game press conference, Christie Sides spoke up on her take on the drawn parallels. She said, “Yeah. They get compared to those guys all the time. That’s exciting for our franchise. That’s two of the greatest to play the game. Diana and BG, I mean two of the greatest to do it. And what great duo to look up to and hope and aspire to be.”
Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides on Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston getting compared to the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. #WNBA #FeverRising
#ValleyTogether pic.twitter.com/p6kJqX8jvf— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) June 30, 2024
Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides on Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston getting compared to the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. #WNBA #FeverRising #ValleyTogether pic.twitter.com/p6kJqX8jvf
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) June 30, 2024
While not as tall as BG, Boston has displayed her dominance in the paint. In fact, the 6-ft-5 forward added 11 of her 17 points through Caitlin Clark’s assistance. This makes up 64.70% of her points tonight. In the last 20 games as well, over 59% of the former Gamecocks’ points have come from facilitation by the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Surely, looking at the two finishing up their plays, they do look like DT passing the ball to the 9x WNBA All-Star. Let us see how the entire crew from Indiana displayed the best chemistry tonight.
Recapping the GOAT Diana Taurasi vs the Rook Caitlin Clark Showdown
A lot was made about the first meeting between the 42-year-old WNBA’s all-time leading scorer Taurasi and the 22-year-old Caitlin Clark. The Footprint Arena which barely saw a crowd over the 10,000 marks in their last five home games was completely sold out to watch the Fever rookie. While most would be present to support their home team, the huge crowd of 17,071 fans saw the visiting Fever upset Phoenix with an 88-82 road win.
Although Caitlin Clark only added 15 points tonight by going 4 of 14 from the field and 2 of 10 from beyond the arc, she managed a double-double with 12 assists. In fact, she was on her way to becoming the only rookie in the WNBA to have a triple-double. However, her 9 rebounds kept her from writing history. On the other hand, Diana Taurasi collected 19 points with 3 rebounds, assists, and steals each.
Overall, four of the starters had double-digit scores with Temi Fagbenle lodging 10 points from the bench. Moreover, their comeback in the third quarter after trailing by as much as 15 points in the first half and then taking the lead for good in the last four minutes of the game changed the tides. Even the WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo praised rookie Caitlin Clark for pressing the accelerator for the game. Tonight, the Fever displayed the best example of relentless chasing that ultimately became a reward.
