PHOENIX — Caitlin Clark found herself on the bench, for once, cheering as the final moments passed by on Sunday. The Indiana Fever rookie joined her teammates in celebrating their 88-82 victory over the Phoenix Mercury before being surrounded by television cameras and photographers. While speaking to an ESPN reporter, Diana Taurasi walked past, headed towards the home locker room, 20 feet away.
This win was significant for the Fever, marking their first victory over a winning team in 20 attempts. It also painted a stark before-and-after portrait impossible to overlook. Clark, at 22 years old, represents the promising rookie, the WNBA’s future. On the other hand, Phoenix’s Taurasi, at 42, holds the league’s career scoring record and even has a street named after her outside the arena.
In front of a packed Footprint Center, Clark played a steady 39 minutes. Despite shooting 4 of 14, she came close to securing her first professional triple-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. Indiana coach Christie Sides praised her remarkable passing, saying, “She just finds the plays that need to happen.”
Taurasi contributed 19 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds in 32 minutes. Just two nights earlier, she had sunk five 3-pointers in a home victory against the Los Angeles Sparks. However, against the Fever, she struggled from deep, shooting only 2 of 10, unable to find her offensive groove.
a near triple-double from Caitlin Clark in today’s win over Phoenix 😈 pic.com/KSJriLAb3l
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 30, 2024
After the game, apart from a courtside interview where she highlighted her team’s resilience, Clark avoided talking to reporters. Sides mentioned that Clark wasn’t feeling well and needed to see the trainer. It’s probable that Clark didn’t want to address questions about beating Taurasi, pitting the rising star against a legend. This has posed a challenge for the entire Indiana franchise.
During the weekend, Sides was questioned twice about Clark’s performance. Both times, she redirected the discussion towards the Fever’s youth and team development. Clark’s reluctance to hog the limelight was evident during a press conference after their loss to the Seattle Storm. When reporters kept focusing on her with repeated questions, she gestured towards teammate Aliyah Boston, saying, “Ask Aliyah a question.”
It’s possible that Taurasi sympathizes with Clark, having been in a similar situation two decades ago. However, the attention Clark receives surpasses what Taurasi experienced. Since joining the league, Clark has been under immense scrutiny for various aspects, not just basketball but also race-related discussions. She’s learned that anything she says can spark national headlines or debates.
When asked about her potential participation in the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on July 20, despite ranking second in fan voting, Clark avoided committing. Her focus remains solely on basketball, steering clear of hypothetical discussions. During the same media session, she reminisced about her earliest memory of Taurasi, identifying her as someone she idolized for the intensity and passion she brought to the game. She viewed facing Taurasi on Sunday as a dream come true.
“That’s somebody I grew up idolizing and looking up to and wanting to be like one day,’’ Clark said. “I don’t know if there’s going to be many people to be able to do it like her.”
As a rookie in Phoenix in 2004, Taurasi swiftly became the face of the franchise. Her first home game drew 10,493 fans, the highest for an opener in three years. Before numerous road games that season, she engaged with selected groups of 50 fans, setting her apart in the WNBA.
“I loved it,” Taurasi remarked. “I just loved to play basketball. I didn’t care too much about outside noise or what people thought of me. I enjoyed every minute. Being a rookie was cool, man. It was fun. You could do whatever you want, you didn’t know any better. Being in Sports Illustrated, Slam … ESPN the Magazine.”
Reflecting on the physical play she encountered, Taurasi also had to face veteran players who tried to put her in her place. While they respected her talent, they made sure she earned their respect. She recalled a tough moment from her early days in the WNBA when an intimidating defender named DeLisha Milton-Jones twice elbowed her in the face during a game.
During a recent phone conversation, Milton-Jones, now a coach at Old Dominion, laughed about Taurasi’s remarks and how she wants to present her side of the story. She admired Taurasi’s game up close, noting how Taurasi manipulated the game with her vision and had mastered nuances that rookies typically require a season or two to grasp.
Milton-Jones remembered how Taurasi’s craftiness extended to on-court tactics, recalling instances where Taurasi outsmarted opponents by poking them in the stomach during a jump shot or creating space for herself on offense.
“She would literally punch me in the stomach,’’ Milton-Jones said. “Then she would blast off wide open. My coach is yelling at me like, ‘You need to be guarding her!’ And I’m like, ‘She just punched me in the stomach!’ She was feisty and crafty and she had this vet savvy-esque play to her game.”
(Responded Taurasi outside the media room Sunday: “I think it was my upbringing. Italian Argentines, we’re sneaky. We’re always trying to find an advantage somehow. In the game of basketball, there’s games within the game. And when you’re not physically gifted as much as other people, you have to find little ways to get that edge.”)
Carrie Graf, who coached Taurasi in her initial two professional seasons, pointed out Taurasi’s weaknesses, particularly her confrontations with referees. Graf advised her to leverage her charisma with officials, reminding her that they are human. Despite this, it was undeniable that Taurasi always brought her A-game.
“I can picture this shot like it’s a photograph,’’ Graf said on the phone from Australia. “She’d get in the lane and she’d be up against the tall timbers. She’s on the right side and she extended her right arm out like it was an elevated hook shot. And then with her left hand, the shot blocker is coming in, and while she’s in the air, she goes up and grabs the shot blocker’s arm to clear some space so she could put the ball on the rim. Women just weren’t doing that stuff back then.”
Diana Taurasi drives against Caitlin Clark in Sunday’s game. (Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Clark possesses a similar quality, pulling up from the logo instead of hanging in the air, a trademark move that has made her a standout figure in the sport. She showcased this twice on Sunday, igniting the crowd. Even in Phoenix, “Clark” jerseys outnumbered their Phoenix counterparts in many sections of the arena.
Caitlin Clark showing off her deep range with another logo three 🎯 pic.com/IX8wnVb3g4
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 30, 2024
However, Clark is still navigating this transition. During Sunday’s game, she forced several passes that led to 6 turnovers. She attempted a behind-the-back pass with low chances of success and made errors on lead passes in transition.
Prior to the game (Clark meets with reporters before all contests), she had noted that the biggest adjustment had been the pace. Following their defeat to South Carolina in the NCAA national championship, she returned to Iowa City briefly before her life took a drastic turn.
Since the draft, Clark relocated to Indianapolis. On May 3, she played her first preseason game and has been relentless ever since, featuring in 20 games for the 8-12 Fever. The exciting aspect is her acknowledgment of room for growth, focusing on refining details to elevate her game. On the flip side, limited practice time has hindered her progress.
“I had to learn game to game,” Clark said. “That’s kind of been the biggest adjustment.”
Taurasi foresaw this journey, emphasizing that transitions of this nature often take time. In a recent Phoenix radio interview, she likened it to a college quarterback adjusting to the NFL. Following Sunday’s defeat, she praised Clark’s resilience in handling the pressure and challenges thrown her way.
“It’s amazing what Caitlin has been able to do,” Taurasi said. “Her short career so far has been nothing short of remarkable. The one thing that I really love about her is she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in. And even throughout her short WNBA career, it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game. Her future is super bright.”
(Top photo: Kate Frese / NBAE via Getty Images)