The reigning champions set the court ablaze as they locked horns with Indiana Fever on Saturday. With two evenly matched teams pitted against each other, the gruelling match kept fans, reporters, broadcasters, and coaches on the edge of their seats. Despite a fantastic run this year, was Fever heading towards the eye of the storm? And while the wounds from the 91–90 loss against first matchup against Atlanta Dream still lingered heavy on the team, the New York Liberty left no stone unturned in snubbing the Fever with fresh wounds.

Caitlin Clark & Co. were in for a tough fight as they struggled to create effective offences against Sandy Brondello‘s roster. Starting the game on a bad footing, Clark landed with 4 turnovers in the opening quarter while Liberty took a one-point lead 30-29 as approximately 17,274 spectators looked on. As someone who admitted to working upon her “unbreakable habit” of converting turnovers during her rookie run in the pros, Clark finished the game with a total of 10 turnovers.

While Aliyah Boston led the team with 27 points and 13 rebounds, Clark faced her share of foul troubles and missed opportunities. Although fans are not used to watching the new Clark version 2.0 to perform inefficiently, the Fever superstar also did not stay in these circumstances for too long. The 2024 ROTY trudged through the storm and clawed her way back with back-to-back three pointers and finished with 18 points and 10 assists.

Not to mention her fantastic three-pointer during the buzzer beater. The arena echoed with the chants of Caitlin Clark as Fever gained an 8-point lead by the end of the third quarter. What a spectacular moment for the fans and the team! But the match did not end here. With powerful players like Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Natasha Cloud gracing the Liberty’s roster, it did not take much time for the veterans to regain an upper hand. And as the final quarter began, so did Fever’s problems.

The Liberty was tied at 88 points with Fever before surpassing them. But real trouble began during the final moments of the fourth quarter. As Clark prepared for another inbound shot, she was blocked by Cloud and how! Well, the solid defence resulting in Clark turning and letting the ball slip away. And as she missed yet another opportunity, Cloud and the entire Liberty roster celebrated.

Coming from a historical performance with 27 points and 11 assists despite the team’s narrow loss to the Dream, fans expected an electrifying performance from Clark. Unfortunately, her clumsy moves only added tensions and unwanted ball turns for the roster. But that was not the defining moment for Clark, who made her way back with a bang! and gained a lead for the team. Her aggressive gameplay against all odds was evident in her scoring prowess towards the end of the third quarter. While her flashes were enough to give hope to the spectators and live audience, the game did not end well for the superstar.

But as she hoped that the miss will be considered a foul by the referees, the officials did not react. Moreover, they did not even interrupt the incoming defence from Cloud as if nothing happened. Despite Clark’s immediate reaction against Cloud’s defence, was it really an officiating blunder on the referees’ part? Or was it a clean steal from under Clark’s nose?

Fans React to Referees Actions Against Caitlin Clark

In the middle of the heightened confusion surrounding the foul on Clark,  an official sports media house took to X (former Twitter) and shared two short video clips from today’s game. The clips featured a distraught Clark, who was hoping on a foul from the referees. She even takes the matter to the refs present as the game comes to a close. But to no avail.

The first clip features Cloud and the Fever player before she turns and the ball slips away, with a caption that read, “Was Caitlin Clark fouled on the final play of the Liberty-Fever game? She certainly thought so and was angry at the no-call.” The wide-angle portrays an energised Natasha Cloud, who was successfully able to block Clark during the final few moments of the game. Using her hands to intimidate the Fever player, Cloud can be seen gaining a momentum and egging Clark on. And as Clark turned to prevent the ball in her opponent’s favour, she lost control of the possession.

Meanwhile, they also released a second clip from the front angle in the comment section. They captioned the short clip with, “Here’s another angle from CBS of the no-call on Caitlin Clark to end the Liberty-Fever WNBA game.” This shows a close-up of what really went down between Cloud and Clark. As the space between Cloud and Clark narrowed when Clark turned, many fans were quick to argue it as a fouled defence whereas others appreciated Cloud’s clean victory move.

Meanwhile, fans were quick to jump on the bandwagon and voiced their opinions on the looming issue. Calling out the referees for the biased gameplay on X, one user was quick to note,”WNBA need to fix the referee issues… in every game so many inconsistent calls, that will ruin the game because it will be the narrative of every tie game at this point, they were terrible on this game for both side.” With referees not reacting on time and giving a proper decision, the user said that this will lead to match ties in every game and eventually become the narrative of the sport. The user also pointed at how the refs on both sides were unable to fulfil their duties correctly.

The bold comment against the WNBA officials reminds us of what Clark’s father told ESPN broadcaster, Holly Rowe, during this year’s preseason matches. While appreciating them during Fever’s face-off against Brazil national team in the Carver-Hawkeye arena, Ben Clark had coldly called out the way refs usually handled the games and said the league had ample room for improvement when it comes to the officiating system.

“I think there’s a room for a lot of improvement there, I think particularly in the officiating,” Caitlin’s father told Rowe. “I’ve kinda noticed a little bit of a difference. It looks like they’re really officiating the game like it should be officiated because I think if you make the game more fluid, people are gonna like the product even more than they do right now.” And though Clark is widely known for talking back to the refs since her college days, it seems like the entire family has a thing against the refs and their decisions.

Meanwhile, someone commented on the video clip and wrote, “Natasha Cloud strips Clark to seal the game for New York. Wow!!! Libs hold on for the win.” Celebrating Cloud’s smart strategy of a missed play, the user rejoices as the undefeated champions add another feather to their hat. Cloud and Jones had been keeping tabs on Clark most of the game time, with efficient blocks and defences from Natasha. But the final defensive move against Fever celebrity was a huge feat as Cloud secured a win for the Liberty’s roster.

The New York Liberty has been on an exceptional 3-0 winning streak so far. With a fantastic 92-78 season opener against the Las Vegas Aces where Breanna Stewart led the victory with 25 points on the home front, they had an even better showdown against the Chicago Sky on May 22. They rattled the Wintrust arena as they won by a massive 99-74. No wonder the Liberty was crowned the 2024 WNBA champions!

Another user took the argument one notch higher and added, “Why no challenge? Also, bad officiating. Caitlin Clark was fouled.” While completely speaking in Clark’s favour, the user showcased another aspect of the officiating blunder. They quickly highlighted that the referees present could give Clark an equal chance at a challenge. This question surely rang a bell as most wondered why the crucial point was not discussed further when the scene unfolded.

Appreciating Liberty’s efforts during clutch moments of the game, another user pointed out, “Stop, Liberty put on the clamps.” As Natasha Cloud hovered around Clark who was struggling to dribble, pass, or convert an opportunity, the user put a stop to all those in favour of Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. They indicated how Liberty followed the lockdown defence policy, and prevented Fever into running successful and effective offences. No wonder Boston and Clark kept landing fouls and turnovers.

Having said that, another X user was quick to comment, “Natasha Cloud fouls Caitlin Clark late on the final possession.” The user clearly states how Cloud did, in fact, foul Clark during the final moments of the fourth quarter. Whether Natasha Cloud really made a foul against Clark or was it all a fair basketball play, that remains to be seen. But for fans, the Caitlin Clark effect still rules the air as they stand for the player online, supporting the so-called injustice served towards her. And with more games lined up this season, it will be exciting to watch how Indiana Fever turns the losing streak in their favour once again.