Caitlin Clark and Co. Not Given Credit as Atlanta HC Makes Stunning Claim About Play in Second Half

The Dream had been a frustrating checkpoint for the Fever in their road to the Commissioner’s Cup. Atlanta’s performance made Caitlin Clark-less Indiana drop to 2-1 after a 77-58 thumping. Those 58 points marked their lowest output since 2017. Back then, going into halftime, the two squads were tied at 33. However, the Dream absolutely crushed them in the second half. In the first 7 minutes of the 3rd quarter, the Fever managed to score only four points. That second-half nightmare almost cost the team their title. Now, fast forward to last night, and the script flipped. This time, it was Indiana who owned the second half and left the Dream chasing shadows.

After their previous loss to the Valkyries, White said, “We’ve got to bounce back,” and bounced back they did; and in style. She’d added, “We’ve got to be better. Our attention to detail has to be better, we’ve got to stop waiting for someone else to do it. And we’ve got to lock in and out first things first, and do it,” and the Fever players executed each of White’s word to the T. Indiana held Atlanta without a field goal after the 3:38 mark in the 3rd quarter. They soon took an 80-67 lead, from there on, Indiana led by double figures the rest of the way.

However, the Dream coach Karl Smesko did not think that it was Indiana’s dominance that led to their loss. Maybe he doesn’t believe in externalizing the blame, or he’s simply underestimating the squad’s ability; that’s for you to decide. Here’s how the conversation went, in the postgame presser, an interviewer asked, “Coach, in that second half, you started seeing a little bit more of a stronger dominance coming from Kelsey Mitchell and specifically, obviously, Aliyah Boston. Were there some rotations there?” 

No doubt. Boston opened the fourth with a rebound and assist, then added two layups and went 4-of-4 from the line. Meanwhile, Mitchell made a three-point play, hit a late three, and then capped it with a steal and assist to Aari, which swung the momentum entirely Indiana’s way. The Interviewer added, “Was it something that Indiana was doing that you guys weren’t prepared for. Or was it just something on your end?” And that was a perfectly relevant question.

But Karl Smesko’s response was interesting, to say the least. “No, I don’t think they did much different in the second half. We just had a lot more breakdowns.” That’s true, early in the fourth quarter, the Dream gave up a quick 7–0 run. It included a Caitlin Clark layup, an Aliyah Boston bucket, and a Sophie Cunningham layup, which put them behind 76–67. “We just made breakdowns on things we didn’t break down in the first half. And when you do that against a good team, they can get it going and make you pay,” Smesko added.

With that carelessness from the Dream franchise’s end tonight, they dropped to the 5th overall position in the league while Indiana secured a .500 sweet spot. Their next upcoming matchups against the Liberty and the Wings will bring more clarity as to where the two franchises stand. For now, Aliyah Boston, Sophie Cunningham, and Kelsey Mitchell can celebrate. And although tonight Caitlin Clark did not make a serious contribution to the box score, there might have been another way in which she contributed, before the ball was even tipped….

Caitlin Clark’s “Miracle” Message Sets the Tone…

Ahead of the game, Caitlin Clark showed up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wearing a crop top with the word “Miracle” printed on it. She paired it with high-waisted, wide-leg jeans that had a faint leopard print. She tied the look with some chunky black sneakers. It was a cool, laid-back street style.

Sure, it could’ve just been a fashion choice, but after Indiana’s rough  80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on July 9, it also seemed like a quiet way of saying they were ready to turn things around. Coming back from injury, Clark had a rough game against the Golden State. Everyone expected her to step up and carry the offense this time, but instead of going for big stats, she helped her teammates shine.

Maybe even passing along some of that “miracle” energy. And it worked. On July 11, the Fever completely flipped the script. They blew out the Dream 99-82, and brought their record back to .500 at 10-10. Maybe this team didn’t even need a miracle, just some confidence and a little push to keep rolling.