The WNBA and its frequently subservient TV networks on Sunday continued to try to downplay Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark – the most popular star the league has ever seen, literally in record TV ratings numbers, by the way.
This was CBS’ opening for its nationally televised Indiana-Chicago Sky game at noon Sunday:
“The WNBA crowd pours into watch two of the hottest names in sports. The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese arriving in style to face the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.”
Reese top billing over Clark? Really. Is this the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) enforcing the equal time rule, or what? It’s like the WNBA does not want Clark to play too well, so it doesn’t have to give her too much attention.
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Too bad. Because Clark played like an Olympian, which she will not be this summer after an anti-Clark agenda decision by the fair-fearing Woke National Basketball Association.
Clark played one of her best games as a pro in leading the Fever to a 91-83 win over the Sky and Angel Reese in front of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. She beat Reese for the third straight time as well, going back to Iowa’s win over LSU in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in April. That includes two straight over the Sky after Clark survived cheap-shot sky hooks in each game from Chennedy Carter and Reese, respectively.
Clark admirably continues to take the high road despite the low-budget antics. In fact, Clark lives on the high road without exit ramps.
“What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws,” Clark laughed after being asked for her reaction to Reese’s tomahawk chop to her head that missed all of the basketball. “That’s all I’m thinking about.”
Reese could not have cried, “All ball” after the play. But she could’ve said, “All head.”
Clark made the two technical free throws for a 65-62 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter after a Flagrant 1 foul was correctly called against Reese upon review. Because of Reese’s “follow through” and “unnecessary contact to the head,” the foul was ruled flagrant, game official Eric Brewton said.
“Just part of basketball,” Clark continued and actually repeated and supported what Reese said about the play.
“It is what it is,” Clark said. “She was trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”
That’s what it looked like in live action, and that’s what many are saying, including OutKick’s Dan Dakich.
But the review said something different. Reese is too good of an inside player to miss the ball by that much. She is fourth in the WNBA in rebounding with 10.2 a game and had 13 Sunday. So, unless she has very bad eyesight (which may be a good argument considering some of her outfits), that was a completely intentional shot to the head that she skillfully made look like one of those accidental-on-purpose moves. Fooled a lot of folks. But not everyone, and not the officials at the game.
Those types of plays do happen in the NBA a lot, as some have said, but fouls are usually called, too.
At least, Reese’s foul was more of a basketball play – albeit clandestinely camouflaged well – than Chennedy Carter’s body block hit on Clark while the ball was not in play on June 1. That one was ridiculously not called flagrant at the time.
But many have missed something else about Reese’s flagrant foul. Her team was down by one point late in the third quarter after overcoming a six-point deficit early in the period. And Reese chose to hit Clark in the head instead of blocking the shot and gave up two free points in a close game. What is Reese’s agenda there? And would she have done the same thing if another Fever player was going in for a layup?
Reese’s agenda is this. She is so jealous of Clark’s stardom and game, she can’t see straight. I think it’s more that than the fact that Caitlin is white. Sometimes jealousy can be more powerful than even racism. I’m thinking if Caitlin was black, Reese may have just as much or almost as much of an issue with her. Because Angel knows Caitlin is a better player, period.
It all started back when Clark became a superstar late in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, passing Reese, then continuing to lap her to this day. There’s no “special whistle” for Clark, as the self-absorbed Angel claimed Sunday in typical delusional fashion.
Clark is just a much better player than Reese and most others, period, mainly because she is much more versatile, which is why she should be on the Olympic team.
People also dig the long ball in every sport it is a part of. And Clark is No. 2 in the WNBA in 3-pointers made with 40. Reese hasn’t made one yet. Reese, possibly distracted by her Clark issue, couldn’t even make short-range shots on Sunday, missing 9-of-13 for 11 points. She is 34th in the WNBA in scoring with 12.1 a game to Clark’s No. 17 with 16.1 a game.
Clark’s elite play shined through remarkably on Sunday, though CBS announcers Lisa Byington and Tiffany Blackmon either couldn’t see it, or chose not to see it. She was all over the court Sunday with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 3-of-7 from 3-point range with driving and reverse layups along with 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. That’s nearly a triple-double.
Yet Byington and Blackmon kept talking about how good the Sky’s defense on Clark was.
“She’s gone cold,” one of them said in the second quarter. No, she just wasn’t shooting at the time, because she was feeding other players. At the time of that statement, Clark was 4-of-6 from the field for 66 percent, which is significantly more hot than cold, for 9 points and had four assists, four rebounds and a blocked shot.
When Clark made a 3-pointer for an 84-77 lead with 3:05 to play, one of the announcers said, “She needed that one.”
Uh, she had 21 points at the time to lead all scorers. The announcers made it seem like she finally hit a shot after going 0-for-9, or something.
mutli-talented. In addition to the scoring, she is No. 4 in the WNBA in assists with 6.2 a game, 14th in blocks with 1.0 a game and 24th in rebounding with 5.1 a game. Guards usually don’t block shots or rebound that well.
One of the reasons Clark is such a good passer and shot blocker is because she anticipates the action so well – often much more so than her opponents, teammates and the announcers.
When Clark quickly threw a long pass to an open teammate near the goal, the player dropped the pass. It looked like she didn’t expect such a good one from that far away. But one of the announcers said, “Tough pass to handle.”
Yeah, if you’re not ready. Clark often feeds players perfectly, but they seem surprised. Perhaps because they’re not used to such good passes. This is precisely what happened when Pete Maravich played for LSU, the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Jazz. The passes were frequently better than the players.
Apparently, everyone needs to catch up with Caitlin Clark’s game – the WNBA itself, TV announcers, her teammates and opponents. Not just Angel Reese.
And Clark’s teammates, meanwhile, need to start reciprocating against those who cheap-shot Caitlin Clark with some of their own to protect her. Instead of just standing around.
A little more of Malcolm X’s “whatever means necessary” approach is needed instead of Martin Luther King’s non-violent protests.
Or the most watchable WNBA player there is will miss more games than just those in the Olympics.
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