The Indiana Fever locked horns with the LA Sparks Friday night. Everyone was waiting for this contest to commence on the court as it involved a showdown between the No.1 draft pick Caitlin Clark and the subsequent No.2 Cameron Brink. Things got intense when in just the fourth minute of the opening quarter these two rookies came face to face. Herein, Brink won the battle by stealing the ball from the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. Soon after, with just 3:33 remaining in the quarter, Christie Sides decided to bring Kelsey Mitchell into the game and bench Clark for some time, something which didn’t go down well on social media.

Nonetheless, at the last minute, the Crypto.com Arena witnessed her return in place of Temi Fagbenle. She finished the quarter with 2 points and 2 rebounds while being 1 of 2 shooting from the field. In addition to this, the visitors were trailing by 7 points when the officials called for the first buzzer.

Anyhow, this didn’t sit well with the fans as the 47-year-old faced backlash on the internet.

Fans frustrated with Caitlin Clark on the bench

Many wanted to know the reason behind the substitution and termed the Sides’ decision horrible. One X user wrote, “Why is #caitlinclark on the bench and #erikawheeler bringing the ball up the court? It’s so painful to watch this horrible coaching @indianafever.” 

Another X user who appears to be a Caitlin Clark fan outrightly stated that the team doesn’t stand a chance if Caitlin Clark is not on the court. The fan posted, “Fever doesn’t have a chance with Caitlin Clark on the bench!.” The 22-year-old has consistently been a top performer for the Fever, leading the team with an average of 17.8 points.

In the game against Connecticut, Clark was able to register 8 points in the opening 10 minutes. Keeping that in mind, many keep questioning this tactic of Christie Sides on X. One fan opined that it’s pointless to take Caitlin out of the game for 3 minutes at any point of the game. The comment read, “Respectfully, there is absolutely no reason why Caitlin Clark should be on the bench for three minutes at any point of the game.” 

Further, one X user ridiculed Sides’ decision. Pointing out the time for which she was out of action, the fan directed questions towards the franchise regarding her draft. Caitlin Clark is alongside legends like Candace Parker, Sue Bird, and Nikki McCray with 50+ points and 15+ assists in her first three games. These numbers are drawing more people into her games to watch her live. Unable to do so, the X user expressed, “So, why exactly did the #IndianaFever draft Caitlin Clark? To sit on the bench for more than 3 minutes in the 1st quarter? This is ridiculous!” 

Meanwhile, there were also some comments serving as a reminder to the head coach that people are tuning in just to get a glimpse of Caitlin Clark. The 6-foot guard has broken viewership as well as attendance records in college as well as in professional basketball. Tonight as well, a whopping 19,103 people were present at the Crypto.com Arena to witness the game. One of the comments was, “Does the Indiana coach realize people are there to watch Caitlin Clark?” 

The fixture is turning out to be an enthralling one. Seeing the 2× USBWA National Player of the Year back on the hardwood surely delighted many of her supporters. Will she carry Indiana to their first win of the season? Only time will tell.