After a feisty watch that was Fever vs Sun game 1, the two teams were at it again Tuesday night. A fan with a Fever jersey had to be ejected, Caitlin Clark lost her cool with the refs, and Tina Charles gave spectators something to talk about with her scuffle involving Aliyah Boston. The latter two, however, would share a heartwarming moment after the game. But the fans weren’t having any of it! Was the Sun center actually trying to make up and offer some good advice? Or was it just a move to ‘save face’?

Tina Charles’ 14-year WNBA career is nothing to be scoffed at. A former MVP and Olympic Gold Medalist, she has always commanded respect in the league for her dominance and leadership, but these same qualities sometimes veer into dangerous territory. In the game against the Indiana Fever, Aliyah Boston was down on the court after what seemed to be an arm thrown towards her during a scuffle for position. Intentional or not, that move was definitely reckless! One that even demanded a call for flagrant foul. 

But it wasn’t just the hit that put Tina Charles under fire. It was a moment of respect between the competitors, and some advice given by Tina Charles that couldn’t have come at a worse time!

The duo was seen hugging it out, and Charles was showing off some plays to Boston, but the reactions from the fans were anything but favorable. Because the last time the two teams faced each other, it took away much of the liking Indiana fans might have had towards the Sun players. 

For a brief look back, the game 1 ended in three ejections and what could only be called an absolute officiating disaster on the field. Indiana coach Stephanie White called out the officials for not controlling the game as an all-out brawl broke out on the hardwood floor. “When the officials don’t get control of the ballgame — when they allow this stuff to happen, and it’s been happening all season long … this is what happens,” stated White. 

During a pass attempt, Sheldon accidentally poked Caitlin Clark in the eye, prompting an instinctive shove from the Fever guard. Sheldon quickly retaliated, escalating tensions as both benches began to stir with players rushing in. Tina Charles stepped in immediately to defuse the situation, but things took a turn when Marina Mabrey entered late, aggressively chesting up to Clark and knocking her down. So as the instances piled up, fans refused to ease in on Charles despite her gesture towards Boston. 

Tina Charles’ tough play overpowers as fans call for fairness

In the post where the duo can be seen sharing the moment, the comments took a different direction with a fan calling out the foul and tagging the officials and the WNBA to take action. “GTFOH! 😡@CathyEngelbert@wnba@IndianaFever@ConnecticutSun@espn@espnW,” one of the users wrote. 

Adding fuel to the fire is Charles’ take on the Caitlin Clark incident last game. During her appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, the two had laughed it off and the fans were not having it. There had a row of angry spectators. So one of them tags this post-game interaction to be a ‘save face’. “She knows she’s on the spot after the “Sue Podcast thing” so she wants to save face. I can tell AB wasn’t interested,” read a comment. 

Coming in 2010, Charles has tasted physicality unlike many of the players today. After playing among the likes of Erika DeSouza, Sancho Lyttle, and Camille Little, she hasn’t shied away from tagging the current league as “soft”. So that move against Boston was just another play for Charles. But fans don’t see it the same.

“On what? How to take a punch?,” one bitterly predicted the advice. Charles may be leaving the on-court happenings to the hardwood, but don’t expect it from the spectators. “this does not excuse what she did to Boston and what she did to Caitlin and then laughed about it with Sue Bird,” read another comment. 

Not all fans were quick to jump on the hate train, though. A few seemed to call it the veteran’s way of roughing up the new ones! Daina Taurasi did it. Charles is doing it now. “She so nice nasty. Old school lol. Ruff them up during the game and then all hugs and help after. True vet,” one added. Others pointed out how the act was truly a class one from the Legend, “That’s what it’s about.” And it sure is.