How do you know you’re a nightmare to guard? Easy, when the ball’s in your hands and the whole thing feels like the Spider-Man meme. Just, instead of multiple Spideys pointing at each other, it’s defenders pointing at you, arms wide, muttering, “No, not this time.” That was the entire vibe against the Valkyries. Considering Paige Bueckers had just dropped 40-plus against the Aces, they weren’t about to let her do it again.

Only this time, they clamped down so hard that she couldn’t even sniff double digits. Yep, the Valkyries not only snapped their three-game skid but also snapped something bigger: Paige’s run of 30 straight games in double figures. Thirty, that’s rare air, the kind that sits right below Candace Parker and A’ja Wilson. But that’s what happens when you hang 44 on someone: the spotlight just flares, and teams try to stop you any way possible. Sounds familiar? It should.

Another No. 1 pick has already worn that target all her rookie season: Caitlin Clark. Fans didn’t hesitate to bring her up, because the situation is oddly similar and comparisons are inevitable. Indiana had to rewire its offense to survive the Caitlin glare, and now Paige’s teammates are doing the same. When an interviewer asked postgame, “What changed defensively for Golden State? Or for you guys offensively when they sent four to Paige?” Myisha Hines-Allen didn’t hesitate.

“We know Paige demands a lot of attention.” She even mentioned Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike, who’d said after holding Paige to 11, “we’ve all seen the clip of Neka saying that was the game plan of sending five to her.” So what’s the Wings’ counter? In Hines-Allen’s words: “Everyone stepping up and being confident to knock down the shot.” Or, as she summed it up, “It’s a testament to Paige, but also to us – to hit the open, easy looks when she pulls the gravity.”

But no future gameplan was enough to stop fans from chirping and drawing their favorite parallel. Here’s what they said.

Paige Bueckers Meets the “CC Treatment”

The comments started flying the second BricksCenter dropped that photo: three Valkyrie guards swarming Paige Bueckers, ball in her hand, and two more lurking in the background like security detail. The caption said “They guarding Paige Bueckers like Steph Curry 😭.” And honestly, that’s not even a stretch. As Jeff Teague once said, “You look one way, and Steph is taking off the other. You’ve got to catch up. It’s harder to guard them players just because you got to go around so many screens.” Swap “Steph” for “Paige” and the headache is the same.

But WNBA fans weren’t going to let it stop there. One comment summed it up perfectly: “Welcome to Caitlin’s world.” And welcome it is. Because if you think what Paige saw was unfair, just rewind some Caitlin Clark tape. Candace Parker, when asked by TMZ if Caitlin was being treated unfairly, didn’t mince words: “You know, it’s definitely like, star players aren’t ever treated fairly,” she said with a laugh.

That’s the reality when you carry the ball and the spotlight, the hits come harder. Fans chimed in with lines like, “At least she ain’t getting beat up like Caitlin did every game.” Even Stephanie White has said Caitlin’s injuries are no accident: “Someone who has the ball in her hands as much as Caitlin, the physicality that she’s experiencing for 40 minutes, it causes you to load differently, explode differently, accelerate and decelerate differently.” Translation here is that kind of attention changes your body mechanics.

Others weren’t here for sympathy though: “What’s the problem? They should have done it from the start. This was celebrated when it was done to Caitlin. Why should Paige be treated differently?” And honestly, they’re right to lump them together: two sensational, generational stars. But instead of leveling the playing field by beating up Paige, we call to level it by easing up on Caitlin. Fair’s fair, right? But that’s only if she even returns this season.

Last night, whether Paige scored or couldn’t, she made sure that even the Valkyries tip their cap. Head coach Natalie Nakase kept it blunt: “(Paige) is an elite scorer in this league. Rookie or no rookie, that’s impressive what she’s been doing. We matched her up with (Kaila), but at the end of the day, it was team defense. She demands a lot of attention.” And attention she got – nearly 35 minutes of it. That’s just life when you’re already on scouting reports next to names like Clark and Wilson.