Caitlin Clark Chews Out Fever Coaches During Disastrous 1st Quarter Against Mystics

Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever have the toughest remaining regular-season schedule of any playoff contender.

Caitlin Clark Chews Out Fever Coaches During Disastrous 1st Quarter Against Mystics

Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark (Image via J Root/Hop Drops/X)

This season’s WNBA playoff race is tighter than it has been in recent memory, with Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever bang in the middle of a race that could completely change the postseason order.

Currently, they are fifth in the table below longtime rival Angel Reese and her Atlanta Dream, who have put together a string of impressive wins. That should be the mindset of all the teams in the postseason race.

But among them, the Indianapolis-based squad has the toughest remaining schedule. With a game against the gritty Washington Mystics and two against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, the pressure on them was more than anyone else faced.

The Mystics have already proved numerous times that they play until the wheels fall off. As one of the youngest teams in the league, they lean into their strengths.

The Fever, on the other hand, rely on the production of their All-Star trio of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston. The latter, though, has not been producing at the same level that saw the center earn her third All-Star call-up.

Knowing this, the Mystics decided to allow the two Fever guards to do their part while concentrating their defensive energy on the other three players. This saw them take a commanding 34-19 lead in the first quarter.

That lopsided score frustrated Caitlin Clark to the point where she was seen yelling at her coaches. Lip readers and fans who watched the game remarked that it was about the defensive coverage that allowed the usually low-scoring Mystics to take advantage and score at will.

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Ex-SportsCenter host blames Fever’s coaches for loss against Mystics

That first quarter ended up becoming the reason why the Indiana Fever lost this game against the Washington Mystics. As much as they wanted, Caitlin Clark and her teammates could not outscore their opponents enough to avoid a loss.

You can’t look unprepared for one of the biggest games of your season… Not at home. Not in late September. Not with playoff seeding on the line… When a team comes out like that, I tend to blame the coaching staff for not having the players prepared… Caitlin Clark could do just so much.

Linda Cohn said on her podcast

The former SportsCenter host pointed out how the team’s struggles in this loss were down to the coaches. Linda Cohn remarked that this loss could be catastrophic considering who the Fever have to face next.

Had they come out in this game firing on all cylinders, they would have had a chance. Now, with the Minnesota Lynx coming up in the final two games, this loss could cost them a chance to win home-court advantage.

With all the controversies coaches faced this season, dropping down the table will draw even more backlash, considering that the Fever will face a tough opponent in the first round.

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If anything, this game exposed the deficiencies in the Indiana Fever that could be difficult to overcome in the playoffs. On one hand, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell did their part to score 25 and 22 points, respectively.

Fever are overreliant on Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark
Fever are overreliant on Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark (Image via ESPN Insights/X)

But the rest of the team struggled mightily. In fact, the six bench players who enjoyed some minutes on the floor combined for just eight points. That is a recipe for disaster in the postseason.

This season, the team’s lack of firepower outside of the Big 3 has cost them games against better defensive teams. If this trend continues, they will likely lose the final two games against the Minnesota Lynx.

That could see the Fever slide down to eighth if the others below them win all their remaining games. Finishing bottom of the playoff pile means they would face the best regular-season team in the first round, which is now the Lynx. Therefore, it is possible that Caitlin Clark’s season could end very early.

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