Caitlin Clark couldn’t save the Indiana Fever against the New York Liberty. About two seconds on the clock, the defending champions were 2 points ahead, and Clark was going for the three to win it. But Natasha Cloud just proved too good a defender in that moment. The headlines will tell you this story, but truly, the Fever should not have been in that situation to begin with. The Stephanie White-led side was leading by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but just as they put their feet off the gas for a moment, the Liberty capitalized.

The Fever just couldn’t defend the likes of Jonquel Jones, who destroyed them with her size and physicality. In fact, White called for a timeout in the fourth after Jones’ first wide-open 3-point make, and that put Liberty within one. But the player made yet another 3-pointer right out of the timeout, which put her team in the lead. It ended with a 90-88 win for the New York team. However, here’s the problem for the Fever: White was aware that the opponent was coming hard at them, yet a sustained solution still remains a work in progress. 

While there was one positive (some of their best basketball came in the third quarter with that fast-paced passing), it did not last long. The Fever HC is looking to get the boxes ticked, one of which also includes keeping Clark off the ball to keep the opponents confused, but is it really working? Rachel DeMita did not hold back in opining that the HC is making CC adapt instead of it being the other way around. In her latest video on YouTube, she stated: 

“Coach Stephanie White continues to play Caitlin off the ball, and it seems like she starts playing Caitlin off the ball when Caitlin is getting faceguarded or when the defense is becoming more physical with her. I still don’t get it because we saw last season that that just doesn’t work.” Caitlin Clark is at her most dangerous when she’s in control, dictating the tempo, reading defenses, and orchestrating the offense with pace. That’s where her game breathes. Her ability to push the ball in transition, manipulate defenders with her handle, and create out of pick-and-roll sets is what makes her such a game-changer for Indiana.

Interestingly, in recent rotations, Clark has been seen alternating at point guard with Sophie Cunningham, who has taken on some of the ball-handling responsibilities. The irony is that Cunningham’s off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot prowess are arguably more polished than Clark’s right now. This rotation may have been a tactical experiment to surprise Liberty’s defense, but it raises strategic questions about maximizing both players’ strengths. After all, CC is better on-ball. De Mita further focused on how they should build on Clark. She said, “Caitlin to me seems the type of player; She needs to have the ball in her hands to get a feel for it, and when she’s not taking up the ball, when she’s not running the offense herself, I could theorize that might have been part of the reason that she just felt cold and she wasn’t able to get into rhythm.”

DeMita believes the same strategy did not work last season. A fast pace with the ball in Clark’s hand is what worked when she was in Iowa. “It will actually benefit all the players around her if they play the style of basketball that fits with Caitlin Clark best. Does that make sense?”

Stephanie White had emphasized that quick offense was going to be the Fever’s game plan this year. In her words, “fast pace, up-tempo” style of play. But against Liberty and throughout the season so far, the execution hasn’t hit the mark. If Caitlin Clark can fully command the offense, it opens up the floor for everyone else. Sophie Cunningham can focus on what she does best: Making smart off-the-ball cuts, relocating for open threes, and attacking closeouts.

Further, Aliyah Boston is building chemistry with Clark in their two-man game. Lexie Hull is starting to round out offensively, with Clark setting the tone and drawing defenders. Kelsey Mitchell, already an aggressive player, could elevate with the 2024 ROTY’s playmaking. Now, that’s all good, but we can’t ignore that the opponents are going to be predicting Clark’s movements on the ball. Take Cloud, for example.

“I knew they [were] obviously gonna go to Caitlin,” the veteran guard explained how she stopped Clark in the Fever versus Liberty game. “I knew she was gonna go left, so as soon as she brought that ball up, I just poked it out.” So, there’s a reason the HC is pushing for the new strategy. Playing an unpredictable game is White’s thing. If you ask Boston, that’s what caught them off guard last season. So expect her to make this work in the coming weeks, or the coach will have to take the hint.

But with Clark out for a while, this problem will be on the back burner for White, but she will still need to work on their system in the long term. As for now, Cunningham will move into the point guard position with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston taking more responsibility on the offense. The tactics aside, the crowd was fully backing the Fever right till the last second. And well, Jones couldn’t go without acknowledging, either.  

Jonquel Jones has sweet words for the Fever crowd!

The Fever crowd has been under fire in the past few weeks with racism allegations after that first home game. But the bad fruits have either been nipped out or remained overshadowed by the overwhelming love the rest carried. That feeling was further solidified by Jonquel Jones, who had put up one of the best performances of the season so far in the game.

All she had was praise for the Fever and their packed crowd, which totaled almost 17,000, as it does at almost every home game. 

“You gotta be ready when you come here,” Jones said after the game. “Indiana has such great fans and their culture. So we knew it was going to be a tough one. We knew it was going to be a fight. And for that team to be a new team, they’re doing really well, and they’re playing really well together. So we expected it.”

There is a line, of course, but every player knows where it is. These are the games the majority of the players enjoy, to perform in front of the crowd that hates that you are doing well. It acts as a fuel. You could say the Liberty capitalized on it, winning 90-88. But the Fever are going to make sure that doesn’t repeat: Two losses this season, and both at home.