Remember when she said, “Hopefully, they can finish it out in five because I won’t be able to come for Game 6”? Caitlin Clark, the Pacers’ good-luck charm, knew that she’d not make it to game 6 of their finals v/s the Thunder. She knew that she’d be tied up with the Fever’s June 19 matchup. Against the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco. However, they lost that day, and so did the Fever today. The Valkyries cracked the code to defending Caitlin Clark. They were so fierce that she couldn’t make it even once out of the 7 attempts from the deep.

She tallied a total of 11 points, while committing 6 turnovers and shooting only 3 of 14. Natalie Nakase herself shared their defense strategy during the postgame presser. She said, “I watched her at Iowa. She loves that left step back, it’s almost like a layup for her (meaning they guarded it well).” At Iowa, Caitlin Clark’s left step-back was nearly automatic; she shot over 40% on such attempts. And the Valkyries perfectly disrupted it by crowding her space early and not letting her balance the feet, hence, the missed shots.

However, it wasn’t all CC’s fault. During the postgame presser, Kelsey Plum mentioned that the squad went soft in the second half and went from a 13 point lead to ultimately losing. To this, Austin Kelly added perfectly while holding the whole team responsible. He said, “We just didn’t play with a sense of urgency out the locker room.” This statement confirms the viewers doubts, everyone felt like something was off, right from the start. He didn’t stop there though.

“I think we turned the ball over five times in the first six or seven possessions. We had eight in the third quarter, and I think that deflates you when you’re trying to build upon a lead.” Coach Kelly admitted that turnovers not only stall their offensive rhythm but also gave the Valkyries extra possessions to claw their way back and eventually come out on top. He ended his statement with “Yeah, but I agree with her in that statement. We’ve got to be better in that regard.” 

And he’s right, the Fever can’t afford to let that slide every time. Time and time again, in their losses to the Sun (May 31), Mystics (May 29), and Dream (June 11), poor second-half execution and careless turnovers led to blown leads or failed comebacks. They need to hold onto their edge, stay locked in for all four quarters, and fight back as a unit, instead of leaning too heavily on Caitlin Clark to carry all the load.

Caitlin Clark’s low night, entertainment for some…

Caitlin Clark’s Bay Area debut wasn’t exactly her finest moment. But it sure gave some prime entertainment, at least to Brandin Podziemski. While the Fever star had an off night in Indiana’s 88-77 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, the Warriors guard went full hype man from the sidelines. After Caitlin Clark got whistled for a travel in the fourth quarter, Podziemski jumped out of his seat. He started making over-the-top arm waves in her direction.

It kicked off his whole sideline comedy act. But the real showstopper came with just 36.1 seconds left. When Valkyries guard Veronica Burton hit a step-back jumper to put Golden State up 87-77, Podziemski didn’t hesitate. Rather, he immediately busted out Steph Curry’s famous “Night night” celebration. That cracked up the crowd and just blew up online. As 95.7 The Game tweeted: “Podz hit the night night celly 😂.”

Meanwhile, Clark couldn’t buy a bucket. She finished with just 11 points on a brutal 3-of-14 shooting night, including 0-for-7 from three, as the Valkyries’ defense smothered her all game. But Podziemski? He seemed to enjoy her struggles. Not only did he troll her from the bench, but he even grabbed a T-shirt cannon to launch merch into the sold-out Chase Center crowd.

This venue is surely becoming one of the WNBA’s rowdiest home courts. “While Podziemski typically is used to receiving the love from fans inside Chase Center, it was clear the young guard relished the opportunity to be the one cheering on others in his own building.” NBC Sports Bay Area pointed out. With Clark’s star dimming for the night, Podz made sure that the spotlight didn’t go anywhere.