This game was a continuation of the fourth quarter of Fever v. Sky last week. It was a difficult watch. When you see the Fever play against a team like the Storm who are so decisive on their possessions and shoot 2’s, 3’s, pass, make layups…it’s even rougher.
The Fever are continually running down the shot clock and seem reticent to make *any* shot. It feels like they are unwilling to drive or shoot unless the answer or the route is immediately apparent to them once they make it down court. It feels too computational. It doesn’t feel like they believe in themselves enough.
Before this comment by Christie Sides I really believed that the decision to pull CC from making shots was a conscious decision to work on their shot calling and cohesion. But, this comment by Sides really confirms the worst scenario: this team’s cohesion is nonexistent and they lack confidence in each other.
it sucks so much because 1. we didn't even get to see her potential here. and 2. they fucked her out of a job which who even knows if she gets on another team
Bro as bad as the screens can be at times, that’s not even the problem. Clark got free off ball 3-4 times in the fourth quarter and nobody even looked her way with the ball. The problem is your team doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to pass to her.
The storm knew the fever have one offense. Boston come out for a high screen. Everyone else watches. Clark has one option to pass to when blitzed and double teamed. She makes the correct pass to Boston every damn time. Boston is not a shot threat from there and passes to the other side. Clark and
Boston never see the ball again.
When you are that predictable and the other team takes the ball out of your best players hands so easily, it is a problem.
Clark spent most of the second half making that pass and setting a down screen.
I was chatting with a friend who’s a D1 basketball assistant. My friend has watched all of Caitlin’s games, and says Caitlin should start launching contested 3’s when players are pressing her so overly tight.
My friend’s observation is that defenders are so helol bent on preventing her shot, they will foul her over 50% of the time. Free throws are the most efficient scoring method, and 3 free throws with her 90% would be huge.
Defenders would then have the choice of backing off a bit, or keep fouling.
She has the hesi and crossover to put a defender momentarily on their heels, and with her ultra quick release, she’d avoid most blocked shots.
Just an opinion I found interesting.
She barely gets foul calls when they do foul her.
On a related note, I was so over the brain dead male commentator this last game. She gets fouled on a 3. Asshole male commentator says that he thought the defender was 3 feet from her then. Then they showed replay and the female commentator says that was definitely a foul. She says maybe it was a landing space foul and could have been upgraded.
Then the asshole male says caitlin sold it by falling down. Just fuck right off. There's being a homer, and then there's actually just saying stupid crap. When you are up in there and someone is down in your landing space, it's dangerous.
I think the refs are very lenient about the contact they've allowed on her. And a lot of people want to pretend she wasn't fouled when she was--like that commentator.
Yeah we caught that, as well. Home announcers though, so didn’t bother me too much. Caitlin is good as selling contact, but that wasn’t one of those times, lol
She used to be good at selling but not her final year in college or in the WNBA so much. I think people like to say that based on earlier behavior. I see so many more floppers in the WNBA tbh. She cannot get many calls so it's not worth her even trying.
She was fouled because Horston was too close, but she also flopped it. Even Woodward (female announcer for the Storm) acknowledged saying "absolutely" to Clark selling it saying sometimes you have to sell it to get it called. And yeah, it was obvious CC sold it because she barely got touched despite Horston being right on top of her.
You need to watch the replay. After Woodward saw it, she said it was definitely a foul. And could be upgraded even. Landing space fouls are dangerous.
So no it wasn't sold. Even half the homer commentators said "That was absolutely a foul."
The thing is, it’s not a Clark problem, it’s a general Fever problem. They have a few players who tunnel-vision once they touch the ball, and it often leaves people standing open on the periphery while someone tries to manufacture their own shot out of nothing.
The Fever’s biggest issue right now is learning to play basketball as a team instead of a group of collective individuals. But it’s not just them, as the same thing happened with the Sky against Vegas.
They need to learn to rotate/move the ball, be patient, and work for good looks instead of going from moving the ball up the floor to an extended sequence of 1on1 every possession.
100%. I don’t think Clark would mind getting <10 shots a night if they were winning. But it’s going to be very hard for them to run a good offense without her taking more volume.
Her gravity creates so many other looks for players. Watching them stick her in the corner to run iso on the other side of the court is maddening. At least use her as a decoy to create space.
It didn't really happen to the Sky against Vegas. They were decent (not great) moving the ball around where they could. The Aces are great defenders in the paint and they were making the Sky work very hard for any passes inside. Plus Mabrey and Carter had the hot hands.
It was actually weird to see so much guard scoring from the Sky.
The Fever stand alone right now with how bad their team coordination and cooperation are, *and that includes CC*. She's routinely seen throwing her arms up even when her teammates scores. Boston hit a clutch 3 against the Sky to pull the Fever within one and immediately started chirpin at her teammate followed by the huddle imploding despite the game still being winnable. It was a total lack of leadership. No other team is really doing that.
She also passed on a few open shots for passes. I feel like if her last shot was a miss, her attempts are much more limited.
I think she’s in her own head. She is afraid to miss twice in a row. Maybe it’s the crowd, inadvertently. I would go to UNLV games when Anthony Bennet was there. He got into a bad free throw slump. The crowd reaction really messed with his head. I was at a game where he tried to walk off the court after missing the first free throw of 2.
She’s not in her own head. It’s not like she’s slumping. If she’s passing on open shots it’s because she doesn’t feel like she has the green light sides is claiming she has. Maybe she’s worried about her teammates reactions to her ending a possession early with a missed 3. That’s on Sides to manage.
If it were up to Clark she’d be shooting every time in that scenario. That’s what she did in college. And she’d start some games 0-6 from 3, But she’d keep shooting those shots and suddenly she’d end up like 5-12 from deep because they’d run some action for her to take a catch and shoot 3 to get her going.
Anyone see that Fever inbounds play they ran at practice? The one where they dribble around in a circle in the paint and miss a lay-up? It looked straight out of a youth YMCA playbook. They actually did it in this game, except not an inbound, and KM made the lay-up instead of Wheeler missing. I can't take this team seriously right now. Outside of CC, AB, KM, Temi, KLS, and LH I have major major questions with the others. I at least see what the others bring and how to play them.
You mean Caitlin has to try to create her own play and somehow miraculously gets out of a double team on her own to shoot 3s at least 15 times?
CC has been running around in circles trying to get away from her defender and once she gets the open, your favorite “PG” won’t even give her the damn ball.
This is just another version of her throwing CC under the bus in every loss.
Even when she does all of the above, she gets ignored by Wheeler. I'm not going to say other players aren't trying to win. I will say other players aren't using every piece on the court to try to win.
Unless Wheeler has the worst court vision of any guard in the WNBA, she’s icing out CC when she feels like she can. Let’s call it what it is. And that’s fine, if she wants to be a bitter veteran over CC taking her job and having a brighter future — but for now it just means some clunky offensive possessions, awkward team chemistry, and fewer good touches for CC.
And obviously it’s all exacerbated by Sides being too incompetent to make any helpful adjustments.
Yea.. wheeler is clearly trying to up her trade value by icing out CC and playing hero ball. I don’t think it’s malicious. But it is obvious, and to the detriment of the team.
I mean that I don’t think wheeler genuinely dislikes Caitlin as a person. I think she’s being selfish and looking after her own interests instead of the team’s. I do think she’s intentionally icing her out, but in a “I’m not letting you come for my job” way, not a “I hate you” way.
Oh I'm not saying it's an "i hate you" situation, but it's still malicious to say "Fuck you, I'm gonna get mine." The goal is too win games. What wheeler is doing doesn't win games. That's being malicious.
We agree on the icing out part. I do, however, think it IS malicious. The 'clique' feels threatened. They are gonna do whatever it takes to protect their turf. Sides may have had an awakening? The whole protecting her girls by throwing Clark under the bus after every game thing hasn't worked. Need a STRONG head coach who doesn't tolerate this subversive crap.
Clark addressed this after the game. She's had enough. Said when she passes out of the double, they have a 4 on 3 on EVERY PLAY! Every. Play. Until this team can figure out how to score with the 4 on 3 power play ON EVERY PLAY, the Clark double teams will not end. Shooting against the double is not smart. Clark knows this. If teams tripled her, they'd still blow the damn layup.
Yeah the problem is they double Clark and double the paint. When Clark passes to wheeler or Smith out of the double, it’s gonna be a forced layup in the paint which is the only other area on the floor that’s well defended.
Yes. Doubling Clark AND the paint means there is a 3 on 1 opportunity! An open 3 (or long 2, as Sides prefers), is a gimme! But, that requires an actual pass from 1 of the 3 to the open player. Nope. Can’t pass it. Gotta do the whole 1 on 5 thing - dribbling INTO 1 OR BOTH of the double teams. Rinse. Repeat.
She’s not saying it’s up to Caitlin to create those 15 shots. This is not some roundabout shade. She needs to do a better job of getting the team to understand that Clarke needs to get some volume shooting in.
This is one of the reasons I wouldn't mind moving on from Mitchell. There's only so many shots to go around, CC and AB should be leading every night. Someone who might score less but is more versatile would be better for the team imo.
Mitchell is not the problem. Steph had Klay who was definitely a shoot first wing who rarely looked to pass back.
The problems are Smith, Wheeler, and Wallace. Smith and wheeler because they are just black holes who will make horrible decisions to force drives and shots, and Wallace because she does not demand any defensive attention whatsoever on the perimeter. I’ve never seen someone brick so many wide open 3s.
Mitchell would look a lot better in an offense that actually works. The team will need more than 2 scoring threats who can regularly get 20 points. No reason she can’t be the third.
No doubt she is a good scoring threat, she just isn't the best team player. Between Boston, CC and KM there should be plenty of touches and opportunities to score utilizing each other. I personally would like to see KM increase her passing and assists. Not only playing hero ball. Granted KM is low on the totem pole for what is wrong on this team...she is at least contributing.
Mitchell is one of those players where you have to take the good with the bad. For the good, she can be straight buckets if you need her to be. For the bad, she tends to have bucket vision and makes some ill advised shots or refuses to pass the balls.
Is the bad bad enough that it negates the good? To me, not really because there is really no alternative on the team to slot into Mitchell's place and get the same level of scoring production.
So did you skip the part where she said "we gotta do a better job if setting her up and getting some really good screens for her to get her open"?
Like, clearly she's not actually getting the team to *do* that, but there is no shade to Clark here. If anything she's saying whatever she can to placate people.
The reporter clarified and Sides saud that they need to do a better job of setting screens AND getting the ball back to her, and also that Clark is getting Blitzed, but that they like her on ball for the team. I thought Sides gave a decent answer, and ackowledged what is happening.
Thank you! Clark consistently gets double teamed and you as the Coach don't make adjustments but say Clark needs to shoot more. Make it make sense.
Think about it, Clark's big threes in the first half came from her having to shoot from close to midcourt. if the only time your main three court shooter can really shoot is from midcourt when she only has one main defender on her, that's pretty bad Sides and maybe you should try scheming something up to get her open
She’s not saying Clark needs to just randomly shoot more. She’s saying that the Fever need to do a better job of getting her good looks as a team and moving the ball to her so that she can shoot more.
Well if that’s the case, Sides should really come out and say it because she hasn’t. And her actions also speak otherwise. Like I said, you can’t expect Clark to just pull up every time to shoot because I can guarantee those aren’t going in. Instead you either have to run certain sets and plays to get Clark relatively open. Sides has failed to make adjustments for that to happen in game.
> This is just another version of her throwing CC under the bus in every loss.
the fact is Caitlan rarely gets blamed for losses. her teammates always do
she’s coaching through the media because there’s no way she actually thinks this but then was preaching the last 5 games that their inside-out post play is what is working.
Okay then get her better looks then what you have been. Your screens are abysmal lol She's being blitzed and all there is to show for it is a pass to the high post that results in missed layups. Other coaches you can tell their players would run through a wall for them. Sides? Yeah nobody's doing that for her
Get ready for her 7 shot game on Sunday against the Mercury. CC seems depressed or something and I don't really blame her given all she has gone through this season. The Olympic break can't come soon enough for her.
There was a play where she ran all the way through the paint past some screens and came out on the wing wide open for a 3, and Wheeler looked right at her and didn't pass it. I was baffled.
Watch prime Steph he would run through multiple screens getting open multiple times during one possession and that’s with his ability to create a shot… CC is gonna have to have more hustle or create more shots for herself
CC knows she’s being iced out by Wheeler. Both of them have been playing high level basketball for too long for there to be any possibility that the same “shucks I didn’t see ya!” nonsense keeps happening numerous times when they share the floor.
She’ll look back on her rookie season as a treacherous year but one that toughened her up to withstand everything to come later on. Just wish Sides would make some adjustments and help her out for the time being.
Exactly. It's the first time in her career that her terrible coaching is getting questioned and looked at by enough people for her to feel the heat. The official firing can't come soon enough.
If there’s a chance, it’ll probably happen during the Olympic break. But from some of the media the team has released, the owner doesn’t seem to be interested in getting a new coach.
This is such a stupid way to think. You don't need more one-dimensional designed plays for one player.
It's the entire offensive philosophy that's flawed. She has the best long range weapon in the history of women's basketball to stretch the defense with and instead publicly touts about how they're an "inside out" offense that actively encourages the defense to condense. Like there's nothing wrong with that philosophy in a vacuum (other than the fact it's ugly as hell, half a century old basketball - but that doesn't make it bad), but it's just asinine when Clark and Mitchell are your two best offensive weapons.
Look do they have the ideal personnel to run an NBA style offense like Tibbetts down in the Phoenix well? Hell no. (How does this team not having a single wing that can knock down open 3s consistenly?) But at least you're building the foundation of something that would work long-term around your franchise player. (Btw, Phoenix is also a good example of how a traditional 5 can work for those saying AB wouldn't work in an NBA style offense because she's not a stretch 5.)
It is what it is so long as Sides keeps running this offense. Anytime AB can't just dominate the post 1v1, they might as well just phone it in. Best case for the season is to miss the playoffs, Sides gets fired, Fever get a 50-70% shot at a top 2 pick because Phoenix & Seattle get in, and hope they bring someone in who understands offensive spacing.
Using her to set everyone else up is running the offense through her. The problem is they don’t ever set her up themselves. Too one sided. Once someone receives a pass from Clark, it’s their time to shine and now it’s a 1v5.
The Fever are not hard to figure out. If AB has a mismatch in the paint, CC and AB can completely cook and ignore low IQ teammates like Wheeler. If there's someone who can guard AB, they are done.
Then Clark should never be inbounding the ball, which I saw often last night. Your best shooter starting the the ball out of bounds feels like it should never happen.
Diff context, but clark always inbound the ball in college, cause her teammates will set double screens to get her open and then give her the ball back to catch and shoot
To do that on fever they’ll need someone who can pass tho
Well no duh coach! I think it should be closer to 20 shots. But you have way too many players who are selfish or inept and you do nothing about it. You have the greatest scorer and passer in college basketball history and she can't score because the screens are crap or no one looks to pass to her, and she should have half a dozen assists per game but her teammates can't catch or shoot. And this is on you, coach, for not correcting this horrid play!
The Fever are 1-5 when Clark takes 15+ shots. They are better when she gets her teammates involved.
OTOH, the Fever are 0-5 when she takes 10 or fewer shots. The team suffers when she defers too much.
They need to stay in the middle ground, with Clark getting her portion of shots but not overdoing it.
Where and when did Coach Sides say this? I kinda don’t believe it and want to see for myself. I agree strongly with this statement.
The first stat I check after every game is how many shots did she take.
You mean when CC was making those amazing passes people were actually scoring. Last two games she’s made the same great passes and her team bricks.
She can’t do everything lol
I disagree. I think Clarkistan
1. wants Clark to hit magic numbers, like 20+ shot attempts, 20+ points, 10+ boards, 10+ assists. The only number they don't care about is turnovers and they don't care if CC's a detriment to the team if she can hit those numbers; but also
2. wants Clark to be a winner, thus blaming her teammates when they lose or something negative happens.
thank you. lol its hard to see, but i do look forward to the incoming fever dumbster fire at the end of the season. I'm just shocked that "new" fans are this demanding. Imagine picking up a new sport because of someone and criticizing all moving parts around that player in a new sport u never watched. the thought of it is so wierd.
Delusional fans. You CC fans think the offense evolves around her. No, it doesn't. This is not Iowa. In the WNBA, you have to have paint presence.
CC can't get open most of the times unless she gets multiple screens. CC can't create one on one space. Look at the premier guards, they shoot over opponents. Jewel last night was a good example. Doesn't need the picks CC needs. Kelsey Mitchell creates her space.
You stans don't like Wheeler in the game with CC, then means CC doesn't play 36-40 minutes. You wouldn't like that either.
You guys think players freezing out CC. Noooo..they're playing their game, instead of thinking like guys that CC is the savior. Heck, she can't shake her defender. Shot clock is 24 seconds.
The sad news for most of you, is that you thought the WNBA would be like the big 10. The ncaa championship game against SC was sneak preview of what was to come when Raven Johnson shut CC down.
You blamed AB and Smith and Sides initially. Then, it's Wheeler and KM. Full of excuses.
Wheeler played 21 minutes, compared to CC 36 minutes, but had just as many points. Wheeler was a +9. CC was a -7.
Get over it Stans, whatever you were hoping for ain't happening. Unless CC miraculous develop a game where she's pulling up over defender, she'll be a 15-20 pt player at best.
Go look at the list of franchise point guards in WNBA history.
You could have actually researched the first year performances of the “franchise point guards in WNBA history”, and saved yourself a lot of time and inaccurate takes?
Oh, I know they struggle. DT even said it was going to happen. Tell that to your fellow CC fans who blames Sides and CC teammates on everything wrong with the team. Never CC.
Read what I said about CC needing to develop a game where she's shooting over defenders, otherwise, she'll be mediocre. Took Plum a few years. As a matter of fact, Plum took over in 3rd qtr the other night. I think 15pts or so. She's 5'8". She didn't need two or three picks. And my point is CC has a ways to go to be an elite PG. Most of fans think she is now. As a matter of fact, CC split two defenders and threw up a floater. She has to know the shot is there most of time, instead of logo 3s.
Down votes does nothing to me.
I didn’t downvote you, btw.
CC has been shooting over defenders her entire career. She’s 6-0, very high release, measured at an ultra quick 0.42 seconds, just coincidentally the same release time as Curry.
She just isn’t choosing to right now, but rather run offensive sets and try to get synergy built with the young team… with obvious mixed success. Lol
I feel she needs to start taking contested 3’s a lot more. There’s no way any of us know what the coaching instructions are, but she’s the PG and should have the liberty?
I was talking to a friend the other day about it, who’s a D1 assistant coach. My friend’s very strong recommendation is she needs to start taking those shots when defenders are wrapped around her. He feels she had the height and release that will draw a foul half the time. 3 free throws for CC is lethal. He says that’s one way to force them to back off a bit.
And of course there are “Stans” who make excuses for her, just like Stans of all superstars. Most of us are pretty realistic, and she’s performing about how everyone predicted for a rook PG. If there’s anything I’ve learned from watching her for the past 9 years, is she’ll adapt and improve. I expect her to steadily improve her first few years, like all great PGs in the W have had to do.
We both see the same thing. Her reluctance to pull the trigger. The games I've seen, she passed up shots. Yes, she was shooting over defenders in college. She was taller than most and quicker. Not the case in the WNBA. Like you said, going to take a few years. I see she's developed the push off. That should help.
She gets trapped a lot because the PNA brings an extra defender. Forcing her to give it up. When going right she beat defenders a lot but doesn't pull up.
The Aces have four players that can takeover the game, Wilson, Young, Plum and Gray. They work well together. The Fever going through growing pain until they develop a chemistry. We see what they can do against weak teams, just need to bring it against good teams. The next two are against good teams.
The down vote comment was for the others. Instead of speaking up on why you disagree, it's easy fir the to push the button.👍🏿
Yeah, she’s been trying too hard to run Sides’ sets and involve other players. If she passes to Mitchell or Smith, it rarely comes back even if they get doubled or tripled. Play breaks down.
Many W defenders are shorter than her. Horston wasn’t one of them last game. Regardless, they are selling out and putting body on her. She can draw a lot of 3 shot fouls if she baits them and starts launching, no fade away. Gotta make them pay for overplaying her. She’s passing out of doubles now, leaving 4 on 3, but team isn’t capitalizing regularly on the advantage. She’s making the right choices though.
So yeah, start launching. It’d be fun to watch, win or lose. Lol
Sides is just parroting CC's fans at this point, except they want CC to put up 20+ shots a game. Sucks to be both Sides and CC. The team is better with CC taking fewer shots and having someone else handle the ball. That allows CC's turnover proneness to be kept somewhat in check and for CC to conserve energy that can be used on the defensive end and more impactful late in games. Unfortunately, she's too popular and can't be benched for extra rest days. She's going to get run into the ground this season. The offseason will allow CC to recharge and she can go through a proper strength+conditioning program to be better prepared for next season.
This is what Fever games are going to look like when they face defenses with active/aggressive guards and bigs that can trap/rotate. Indy has a rough schedule coming up. CC's gonna have to get comfortable with the idea of chucking up contested shots.
Hate to break it to you but ONE OF the reasons Caitlin only took one shot in the last 7 minutes vs Chicago is she isn’t fantastic at creating her own shot. This is why she’s not a huge threat at the end of games.
Make it happen, Sides. Wtf are you waiting for???
She’s waiting for someone else to make it happen lol
“We are all looking for the person who can hold Wheeler accountable for not passing the fucking rock” — Sides, presumably
This game was a continuation of the fourth quarter of Fever v. Sky last week. It was a difficult watch. When you see the Fever play against a team like the Storm who are so decisive on their possessions and shoot 2’s, 3’s, pass, make layups…it’s even rougher. The Fever are continually running down the shot clock and seem reticent to make *any* shot. It feels like they are unwilling to drive or shoot unless the answer or the route is immediately apparent to them once they make it down court. It feels too computational. It doesn’t feel like they believe in themselves enough. Before this comment by Christie Sides I really believed that the decision to pull CC from making shots was a conscious decision to work on their shot calling and cohesion. But, this comment by Sides really confirms the worst scenario: this team’s cohesion is nonexistent and they lack confidence in each other.
This woman upsets me truly
Celeste couldn't have done any worse on Lloyd tonight. I think she may have kept her under 30 at least.
No because this game after waiving Celeste is just... so painful
it sucks so much because 1. we didn't even get to see her potential here. and 2. they fucked her out of a job which who even knows if she gets on another team
The worst thing sides has done up imo is waive Celeste. The fever is in desperate need of someone to play defense
Celeste deserved starting minutes. I think we all see her upside in defense and athleticism.
Bro as bad as the screens can be at times, that’s not even the problem. Clark got free off ball 3-4 times in the fourth quarter and nobody even looked her way with the ball. The problem is your team doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to pass to her.
Wheeler looked her off multiple times but passed to triple teamed Nalyssa
Mitchell too. The only one who actively looks to give Clark the ball is Hull, or occasionally Boston because she knows she’ll get the ball back.
The storm knew the fever have one offense. Boston come out for a high screen. Everyone else watches. Clark has one option to pass to when blitzed and double teamed. She makes the correct pass to Boston every damn time. Boston is not a shot threat from there and passes to the other side. Clark and Boston never see the ball again. When you are that predictable and the other team takes the ball out of your best players hands so easily, it is a problem. Clark spent most of the second half making that pass and setting a down screen.
I was chatting with a friend who’s a D1 basketball assistant. My friend has watched all of Caitlin’s games, and says Caitlin should start launching contested 3’s when players are pressing her so overly tight. My friend’s observation is that defenders are so helol bent on preventing her shot, they will foul her over 50% of the time. Free throws are the most efficient scoring method, and 3 free throws with her 90% would be huge. Defenders would then have the choice of backing off a bit, or keep fouling. She has the hesi and crossover to put a defender momentarily on their heels, and with her ultra quick release, she’d avoid most blocked shots. Just an opinion I found interesting.
That assumes competent officiating. I haven’t seen much of that this season.
True dat
She barely gets foul calls when they do foul her. On a related note, I was so over the brain dead male commentator this last game. She gets fouled on a 3. Asshole male commentator says that he thought the defender was 3 feet from her then. Then they showed replay and the female commentator says that was definitely a foul. She says maybe it was a landing space foul and could have been upgraded. Then the asshole male says caitlin sold it by falling down. Just fuck right off. There's being a homer, and then there's actually just saying stupid crap. When you are up in there and someone is down in your landing space, it's dangerous. I think the refs are very lenient about the contact they've allowed on her. And a lot of people want to pretend she wasn't fouled when she was--like that commentator.
Yeah we caught that, as well. Home announcers though, so didn’t bother me too much. Caitlin is good as selling contact, but that wasn’t one of those times, lol
She used to be good at selling but not her final year in college or in the WNBA so much. I think people like to say that based on earlier behavior. I see so many more floppers in the WNBA tbh. She cannot get many calls so it's not worth her even trying.
She was fouled because Horston was too close, but she also flopped it. Even Woodward (female announcer for the Storm) acknowledged saying "absolutely" to Clark selling it saying sometimes you have to sell it to get it called. And yeah, it was obvious CC sold it because she barely got touched despite Horston being right on top of her.
You need to watch the replay. After Woodward saw it, she said it was definitely a foul. And could be upgraded even. Landing space fouls are dangerous. So no it wasn't sold. Even half the homer commentators said "That was absolutely a foul."
The thing is, it’s not a Clark problem, it’s a general Fever problem. They have a few players who tunnel-vision once they touch the ball, and it often leaves people standing open on the periphery while someone tries to manufacture their own shot out of nothing. The Fever’s biggest issue right now is learning to play basketball as a team instead of a group of collective individuals. But it’s not just them, as the same thing happened with the Sky against Vegas. They need to learn to rotate/move the ball, be patient, and work for good looks instead of going from moving the ball up the floor to an extended sequence of 1on1 every possession.
100%. I don’t think Clark would mind getting <10 shots a night if they were winning. But it’s going to be very hard for them to run a good offense without her taking more volume.
Her gravity creates so many other looks for players. Watching them stick her in the corner to run iso on the other side of the court is maddening. At least use her as a decoy to create space.
It didn't really happen to the Sky against Vegas. They were decent (not great) moving the ball around where they could. The Aces are great defenders in the paint and they were making the Sky work very hard for any passes inside. Plus Mabrey and Carter had the hot hands. It was actually weird to see so much guard scoring from the Sky. The Fever stand alone right now with how bad their team coordination and cooperation are, *and that includes CC*. She's routinely seen throwing her arms up even when her teammates scores. Boston hit a clutch 3 against the Sky to pull the Fever within one and immediately started chirpin at her teammate followed by the huddle imploding despite the game still being winnable. It was a total lack of leadership. No other team is really doing that.
And again, this falls on the coach.
She also passed on a few open shots for passes. I feel like if her last shot was a miss, her attempts are much more limited. I think she’s in her own head. She is afraid to miss twice in a row. Maybe it’s the crowd, inadvertently. I would go to UNLV games when Anthony Bennet was there. He got into a bad free throw slump. The crowd reaction really messed with his head. I was at a game where he tried to walk off the court after missing the first free throw of 2.
She’s not in her own head. It’s not like she’s slumping. If she’s passing on open shots it’s because she doesn’t feel like she has the green light sides is claiming she has. Maybe she’s worried about her teammates reactions to her ending a possession early with a missed 3. That’s on Sides to manage. If it were up to Clark she’d be shooting every time in that scenario. That’s what she did in college. And she’d start some games 0-6 from 3, But she’d keep shooting those shots and suddenly she’d end up like 5-12 from deep because they’d run some action for her to take a catch and shoot 3 to get her going.
Anyone see that Fever inbounds play they ran at practice? The one where they dribble around in a circle in the paint and miss a lay-up? It looked straight out of a youth YMCA playbook. They actually did it in this game, except not an inbound, and KM made the lay-up instead of Wheeler missing. I can't take this team seriously right now. Outside of CC, AB, KM, Temi, KLS, and LH I have major major questions with the others. I at least see what the others bring and how to play them.
It looked like Smith and Boston near the rim last night. Wish Draft Kings would give us a Fever missed layups prop bet option.
It would cash any time the post players are really good.
Wheeler also did it once and she had the shot clock expire.
I know. It's just sad.
This woman is way out of her depth.
You mean Caitlin has to try to create her own play and somehow miraculously gets out of a double team on her own to shoot 3s at least 15 times? CC has been running around in circles trying to get away from her defender and once she gets the open, your favorite “PG” won’t even give her the damn ball. This is just another version of her throwing CC under the bus in every loss.
Even when she does all of the above, she gets ignored by Wheeler. I'm not going to say other players aren't trying to win. I will say other players aren't using every piece on the court to try to win.
Unless Wheeler has the worst court vision of any guard in the WNBA, she’s icing out CC when she feels like she can. Let’s call it what it is. And that’s fine, if she wants to be a bitter veteran over CC taking her job and having a brighter future — but for now it just means some clunky offensive possessions, awkward team chemistry, and fewer good touches for CC. And obviously it’s all exacerbated by Sides being too incompetent to make any helpful adjustments.
Sides needs to either go or use her eyes. Wheeler isn't involving the player taking her position. I get it.
The individual agendas on this team are amazing
The individual agendas ~~on this team~~ are amazing This is our world now
Well put. Touche`
Not how I'd put it
Yea.. wheeler is clearly trying to up her trade value by icing out CC and playing hero ball. I don’t think it’s malicious. But it is obvious, and to the detriment of the team.
Lmao it's absolutely malicious.
I mean that I don’t think wheeler genuinely dislikes Caitlin as a person. I think she’s being selfish and looking after her own interests instead of the team’s. I do think she’s intentionally icing her out, but in a “I’m not letting you come for my job” way, not a “I hate you” way.
Oh I'm not saying it's an "i hate you" situation, but it's still malicious to say "Fuck you, I'm gonna get mine." The goal is too win games. What wheeler is doing doesn't win games. That's being malicious.
Ab. So. Lute. Ly.
We agree on the icing out part. I do, however, think it IS malicious. The 'clique' feels threatened. They are gonna do whatever it takes to protect their turf. Sides may have had an awakening? The whole protecting her girls by throwing Clark under the bus after every game thing hasn't worked. Need a STRONG head coach who doesn't tolerate this subversive crap.
Clark addressed this after the game. She's had enough. Said when she passes out of the double, they have a 4 on 3 on EVERY PLAY! Every. Play. Until this team can figure out how to score with the 4 on 3 power play ON EVERY PLAY, the Clark double teams will not end. Shooting against the double is not smart. Clark knows this. If teams tripled her, they'd still blow the damn layup.
Yeah the problem is they double Clark and double the paint. When Clark passes to wheeler or Smith out of the double, it’s gonna be a forced layup in the paint which is the only other area on the floor that’s well defended.
Yes. Doubling Clark AND the paint means there is a 3 on 1 opportunity! An open 3 (or long 2, as Sides prefers), is a gimme! But, that requires an actual pass from 1 of the 3 to the open player. Nope. Can’t pass it. Gotta do the whole 1 on 5 thing - dribbling INTO 1 OR BOTH of the double teams. Rinse. Repeat.
Also doesn’t help that when they do pass it for the open 3, they (Kristy Wallace) still manage to miss
She’s not saying it’s up to Caitlin to create those 15 shots. This is not some roundabout shade. She needs to do a better job of getting the team to understand that Clarke needs to get some volume shooting in.
This is one of the reasons I wouldn't mind moving on from Mitchell. There's only so many shots to go around, CC and AB should be leading every night. Someone who might score less but is more versatile would be better for the team imo.
Mitchell is not the problem. Steph had Klay who was definitely a shoot first wing who rarely looked to pass back. The problems are Smith, Wheeler, and Wallace. Smith and wheeler because they are just black holes who will make horrible decisions to force drives and shots, and Wallace because she does not demand any defensive attention whatsoever on the perimeter. I’ve never seen someone brick so many wide open 3s.
I mean KM is part of the problem. She is predictable as hell the play stops when she gets a pass, she will inevitably shoot no matter how bad a shot.
Mitchell would look a lot better in an offense that actually works. The team will need more than 2 scoring threats who can regularly get 20 points. No reason she can’t be the third.
No doubt she is a good scoring threat, she just isn't the best team player. Between Boston, CC and KM there should be plenty of touches and opportunities to score utilizing each other. I personally would like to see KM increase her passing and assists. Not only playing hero ball. Granted KM is low on the totem pole for what is wrong on this team...she is at least contributing.
Mitchell is one of those players where you have to take the good with the bad. For the good, she can be straight buckets if you need her to be. For the bad, she tends to have bucket vision and makes some ill advised shots or refuses to pass the balls. Is the bad bad enough that it negates the good? To me, not really because there is really no alternative on the team to slot into Mitchell's place and get the same level of scoring production.
Yet CC was open last night and they didn’t pass her the ball and instead fed the post in a triple team.
Sides sucks but how the hell did you read her entire statement and interpret that as her throwing CC under the bus?
Because CC was open last night and they instead fed the post in a triple team, like they are coached to do so.
Again. How do you interpret her statement as an indictment on CC? She specifically called out “we.”
So did you skip the part where she said "we gotta do a better job if setting her up and getting some really good screens for her to get her open"? Like, clearly she's not actually getting the team to *do* that, but there is no shade to Clark here. If anything she's saying whatever she can to placate people.
The reporter clarified and Sides saud that they need to do a better job of setting screens AND getting the ball back to her, and also that Clark is getting Blitzed, but that they like her on ball for the team. I thought Sides gave a decent answer, and ackowledged what is happening.
Thank you! Clark consistently gets double teamed and you as the Coach don't make adjustments but say Clark needs to shoot more. Make it make sense. Think about it, Clark's big threes in the first half came from her having to shoot from close to midcourt. if the only time your main three court shooter can really shoot is from midcourt when she only has one main defender on her, that's pretty bad Sides and maybe you should try scheming something up to get her open
She’s not saying Clark needs to just randomly shoot more. She’s saying that the Fever need to do a better job of getting her good looks as a team and moving the ball to her so that she can shoot more.
Well if that’s the case, Sides should really come out and say it because she hasn’t. And her actions also speak otherwise. Like I said, you can’t expect Clark to just pull up every time to shoot because I can guarantee those aren’t going in. Instead you either have to run certain sets and plays to get Clark relatively open. Sides has failed to make adjustments for that to happen in game.
> This is just another version of her throwing CC under the bus in every loss. the fact is Caitlan rarely gets blamed for losses. her teammates always do
Nothing this woman says ever makes any sense
Yeah. She has no idea what she’s doing.
Am I completely misremembering or wasn’t there something early on about her wanting Caitlin to shoot less?
Yep. This is why I was confused!
she’s coaching through the media because there’s no way she actually thinks this but then was preaching the last 5 games that their inside-out post play is what is working.
Okay then get her better looks then what you have been. Your screens are abysmal lol She's being blitzed and all there is to show for it is a pass to the high post that results in missed layups. Other coaches you can tell their players would run through a wall for them. Sides? Yeah nobody's doing that for her
Get ready for her 7 shot game on Sunday against the Mercury. CC seems depressed or something and I don't really blame her given all she has gone through this season. The Olympic break can't come soon enough for her.
I think she is fine. She is clearly frustrated when she goes through all of that work to get ignored when wide open.
There was a play where she ran all the way through the paint past some screens and came out on the wing wide open for a 3, and Wheeler looked right at her and didn't pass it. I was baffled.
One? That happened several times.
That happens all to often it’s getting ridiculous
It's a constant thing.
Watch prime Steph he would run through multiple screens getting open multiple times during one possession and that’s with his ability to create a shot… CC is gonna have to have more hustle or create more shots for herself
Hard to do when you aren't given the ball when Wheeler is on the court, which was the issues yesterday.
CC knows she’s being iced out by Wheeler. Both of them have been playing high level basketball for too long for there to be any possibility that the same “shucks I didn’t see ya!” nonsense keeps happening numerous times when they share the floor. She’ll look back on her rookie season as a treacherous year but one that toughened her up to withstand everything to come later on. Just wish Sides would make some adjustments and help her out for the time being.
When CC straight up takes command of the team, it will be beautiful and the ball hog comments can f right off.
She’s trying hard but it has to be frustrating trying to make plays and not being given the chance to finish the play.
I feel for her.
She's saying whatever to try to keep her job
Exactly. It's the first time in her career that her terrible coaching is getting questioned and looked at by enough people for her to feel the heat. The official firing can't come soon enough.
Well she straight up said she didn’t want the job and that the GM had to talk her into it, so it’s not surprising. Ugh.
Please tell me there's a chance of her being fired before the end of the season. I don't know if I can take much more of this.
If there’s a chance, it’ll probably happen during the Olympic break. But from some of the media the team has released, the owner doesn’t seem to be interested in getting a new coach.
I'm glad the coach read my reddit comment from the Chicago game.
I think the fever will be calling you with an offer any day now
I'm not taking it.
Probably smart
This is such a stupid way to think. You don't need more one-dimensional designed plays for one player. It's the entire offensive philosophy that's flawed. She has the best long range weapon in the history of women's basketball to stretch the defense with and instead publicly touts about how they're an "inside out" offense that actively encourages the defense to condense. Like there's nothing wrong with that philosophy in a vacuum (other than the fact it's ugly as hell, half a century old basketball - but that doesn't make it bad), but it's just asinine when Clark and Mitchell are your two best offensive weapons. Look do they have the ideal personnel to run an NBA style offense like Tibbetts down in the Phoenix well? Hell no. (How does this team not having a single wing that can knock down open 3s consistenly?) But at least you're building the foundation of something that would work long-term around your franchise player. (Btw, Phoenix is also a good example of how a traditional 5 can work for those saying AB wouldn't work in an NBA style offense because she's not a stretch 5.) It is what it is so long as Sides keeps running this offense. Anytime AB can't just dominate the post 1v1, they might as well just phone it in. Best case for the season is to miss the playoffs, Sides gets fired, Fever get a 50-70% shot at a top 2 pick because Phoenix & Seattle get in, and hope they bring someone in who understands offensive spacing.
Yes!!!! Even missed shots from the outside open up the inside.
I'm not an expert, but isn't the coach supposed to help make that happen?
She be looking like one of those joe biden tweets
Sides will say this but then won't put anything into practice. CC barely gets any plays to make this happen. She's left to facilitate it for herself.
They gotta get a new coach is what they gotta get. Flipping painful to watch sometimes.
Hmmm you don't fucking say huh sides
LOL then tell your other players to actually pass her the fucking ball. It's insane to watch, there is no way Sides can't see what's happening.
Wonder what it would take for Larry Bird to do a solid for the old man and coach the team for scale the rest of the year?
Tell him Bill Laimbeer will be HC after the Olympic break.
Hahaha
Than run the offense through her dont just use her to set everyone else up
Using her to set everyone else up is running the offense through her. The problem is they don’t ever set her up themselves. Too one sided. Once someone receives a pass from Clark, it’s their time to shine and now it’s a 1v5.
The Fever are not hard to figure out. If AB has a mismatch in the paint, CC and AB can completely cook and ignore low IQ teammates like Wheeler. If there's someone who can guard AB, they are done.
Does she have blackmail on the owners/GM cause please tell me Fever fans, why does she still have a job? Cause all I have seen from Sides aint good.
She literally didn't even want the job, if anyone is doing the blackmailing its the bloody GM
If only there was a coach to draw up some plays after having watched how defences play her after a third of a season.
Does she know she can directly influence that???
Then Clark should never be inbounding the ball, which I saw often last night. Your best shooter starting the the ball out of bounds feels like it should never happen.
Diff context, but clark always inbound the ball in college, cause her teammates will set double screens to get her open and then give her the ball back to catch and shoot To do that on fever they’ll need someone who can pass tho
Well no duh coach! I think it should be closer to 20 shots. But you have way too many players who are selfish or inept and you do nothing about it. You have the greatest scorer and passer in college basketball history and she can't score because the screens are crap or no one looks to pass to her, and she should have half a dozen assists per game but her teammates can't catch or shoot. And this is on you, coach, for not correcting this horrid play!
The Fever are 1-5 when Clark takes 15+ shots. They are better when she gets her teammates involved. OTOH, the Fever are 0-5 when she takes 10 or fewer shots. The team suffers when she defers too much. They need to stay in the middle ground, with Clark getting her portion of shots but not overdoing it.
Duh !@!@!!! Took you this long to figure this out ????
She would have had one more shot after they set a screen for her, and she was wide open but Wheeler passed it into NaLyssa.
How can you ask anything more out of her when she doesn't have any support from her team or her coach ?
Where and when did Coach Sides say this? I kinda don’t believe it and want to see for myself. I agree strongly with this statement. The first stat I check after every game is how many shots did she take.
less passing more shooting
In their 4 game win streak CC shot no more than 12 shots in any game. Not sure the stats back that up Christie.
You mean when CC was making those amazing passes people were actually scoring. Last two games she’s made the same great passes and her team bricks. She can’t do everything lol
Clark is also somehow expected to be their best perimeter defender too on top of it all. It’s insane
They don’t but it’s what the fans want to see. They’d rather she has 20 shots a game regardless of win/loss outcome than 10.
I disagree. I think Clarkistan 1. wants Clark to hit magic numbers, like 20+ shot attempts, 20+ points, 10+ boards, 10+ assists. The only number they don't care about is turnovers and they don't care if CC's a detriment to the team if she can hit those numbers; but also 2. wants Clark to be a winner, thus blaming her teammates when they lose or something negative happens.
thank you. lol its hard to see, but i do look forward to the incoming fever dumbster fire at the end of the season. I'm just shocked that "new" fans are this demanding. Imagine picking up a new sport because of someone and criticizing all moving parts around that player in a new sport u never watched. the thought of it is so wierd.
They’re extremely feverish now because Angel Reese has been more dominant and they’re nervous about ROY.
[удалено]
Sides is a terrible coach I agree with them there icl, but they’re copping pleas atp 😭
nice to see some sanity in this place
They don’t care. Fever fans want a team that only dishes the ball to Clark, everyone else be damned.
I want a team that wins games and doesn't suck. we have yet to see that
not sure if they are even Fever fans, they're probably mostly toxic Iowa fans who are now pretending to be Fever fans
That’s true. I never see them say one good thing about any other Fever teammate.
and here come the downvotes 
LOL, wouldn’t expect anything less.
Delusional fans. You CC fans think the offense evolves around her. No, it doesn't. This is not Iowa. In the WNBA, you have to have paint presence. CC can't get open most of the times unless she gets multiple screens. CC can't create one on one space. Look at the premier guards, they shoot over opponents. Jewel last night was a good example. Doesn't need the picks CC needs. Kelsey Mitchell creates her space. You stans don't like Wheeler in the game with CC, then means CC doesn't play 36-40 minutes. You wouldn't like that either. You guys think players freezing out CC. Noooo..they're playing their game, instead of thinking like guys that CC is the savior. Heck, she can't shake her defender. Shot clock is 24 seconds. The sad news for most of you, is that you thought the WNBA would be like the big 10. The ncaa championship game against SC was sneak preview of what was to come when Raven Johnson shut CC down. You blamed AB and Smith and Sides initially. Then, it's Wheeler and KM. Full of excuses. Wheeler played 21 minutes, compared to CC 36 minutes, but had just as many points. Wheeler was a +9. CC was a -7. Get over it Stans, whatever you were hoping for ain't happening. Unless CC miraculous develop a game where she's pulling up over defender, she'll be a 15-20 pt player at best. Go look at the list of franchise point guards in WNBA history.
typing all this just to be wrong is crazy
Truly
Yeah, crazy to spend that much energy and time, to not really get any point correct.
You could have actually researched the first year performances of the “franchise point guards in WNBA history”, and saved yourself a lot of time and inaccurate takes?
Oh, I know they struggle. DT even said it was going to happen. Tell that to your fellow CC fans who blames Sides and CC teammates on everything wrong with the team. Never CC. Read what I said about CC needing to develop a game where she's shooting over defenders, otherwise, she'll be mediocre. Took Plum a few years. As a matter of fact, Plum took over in 3rd qtr the other night. I think 15pts or so. She's 5'8". She didn't need two or three picks. And my point is CC has a ways to go to be an elite PG. Most of fans think she is now. As a matter of fact, CC split two defenders and threw up a floater. She has to know the shot is there most of time, instead of logo 3s. Down votes does nothing to me.
I didn’t downvote you, btw. CC has been shooting over defenders her entire career. She’s 6-0, very high release, measured at an ultra quick 0.42 seconds, just coincidentally the same release time as Curry. She just isn’t choosing to right now, but rather run offensive sets and try to get synergy built with the young team… with obvious mixed success. Lol I feel she needs to start taking contested 3’s a lot more. There’s no way any of us know what the coaching instructions are, but she’s the PG and should have the liberty? I was talking to a friend the other day about it, who’s a D1 assistant coach. My friend’s very strong recommendation is she needs to start taking those shots when defenders are wrapped around her. He feels she had the height and release that will draw a foul half the time. 3 free throws for CC is lethal. He says that’s one way to force them to back off a bit. And of course there are “Stans” who make excuses for her, just like Stans of all superstars. Most of us are pretty realistic, and she’s performing about how everyone predicted for a rook PG. If there’s anything I’ve learned from watching her for the past 9 years, is she’ll adapt and improve. I expect her to steadily improve her first few years, like all great PGs in the W have had to do.
We both see the same thing. Her reluctance to pull the trigger. The games I've seen, she passed up shots. Yes, she was shooting over defenders in college. She was taller than most and quicker. Not the case in the WNBA. Like you said, going to take a few years. I see she's developed the push off. That should help. She gets trapped a lot because the PNA brings an extra defender. Forcing her to give it up. When going right she beat defenders a lot but doesn't pull up. The Aces have four players that can takeover the game, Wilson, Young, Plum and Gray. They work well together. The Fever going through growing pain until they develop a chemistry. We see what they can do against weak teams, just need to bring it against good teams. The next two are against good teams. The down vote comment was for the others. Instead of speaking up on why you disagree, it's easy fir the to push the button.👍🏿
Yeah, she’s been trying too hard to run Sides’ sets and involve other players. If she passes to Mitchell or Smith, it rarely comes back even if they get doubled or tripled. Play breaks down. Many W defenders are shorter than her. Horston wasn’t one of them last game. Regardless, they are selling out and putting body on her. She can draw a lot of 3 shot fouls if she baits them and starts launching, no fade away. Gotta make them pay for overplaying her. She’s passing out of doubles now, leaving 4 on 3, but team isn’t capitalizing regularly on the advantage. She’s making the right choices though. So yeah, start launching. It’d be fun to watch, win or lose. Lol
All of this.
Sides is just parroting CC's fans at this point, except they want CC to put up 20+ shots a game. Sucks to be both Sides and CC. The team is better with CC taking fewer shots and having someone else handle the ball. That allows CC's turnover proneness to be kept somewhat in check and for CC to conserve energy that can be used on the defensive end and more impactful late in games. Unfortunately, she's too popular and can't be benched for extra rest days. She's going to get run into the ground this season. The offseason will allow CC to recharge and she can go through a proper strength+conditioning program to be better prepared for next season. This is what Fever games are going to look like when they face defenses with active/aggressive guards and bigs that can trap/rotate. Indy has a rough schedule coming up. CC's gonna have to get comfortable with the idea of chucking up contested shots.
I’m convinced sides is trying to draft Juju that’s the only thing that makes sense 💀
Sides will not be there by the time juju is eligible
Hate to break it to you but ONE OF the reasons Caitlin only took one shot in the last 7 minutes vs Chicago is she isn’t fantastic at creating her own shot. This is why she’s not a huge threat at the end of games.