Rough, tough, and gritty. These three words basically sum up the entire Fever vs Dream game so far. We’ve seen fouls aplenty, a lot of contact, and even a couple of technicals being handed out. Indiana’s bench has been out and about, contesting calls, protesting against game-time decisions by the referees, and holding their coach back from doing anything. And through all of this excitement, there’s only one person you wouldn’t want to be right now–Caitlin Clark.
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The ultimate competitor missing the playoffs? That has got to hurt. Everyone had been looking forward to CC dominating in the playoffs, but her injuries put an end to that dream before the playoffs. And to be honest, it’s bad enough to miss two to four months, but then, when you see fouls called on your teammates for no apparent reason, you’re gonna get what’s coming to you. After every bad call, Caitlin Clark was up in anger, arguing with the ref about the legitimacy of the decision.
With about three minutes left before the start of the fourth, Kelsey Mitchell got called for a foul on Rhyne Howard, yet again, as the Atlanta Dream star went in for a drive. Even though CC wanted to contest the call, however, ABC commentator Ryan Ruocco had to step in to correct her outrage on-air. “Caitlin Clark is beside herself with the latest call. That’s a foul on Kelsey Mitchell. She grabs her with the right hand on the jersey; that’s the right call. The Fever bench might not have seen the right hand of Mitchell.” He said.
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And looking at the replay? He was right. What Kelsey Mitchell did was indeed a foul, but CC’s reaction is quite valid. The Indiana Fever has been getting weird calls all night, starting with Lexie Hull, etc. It makes sense for the bench to be “furious,” in the words of Scott Agnes, wouldn’t you be? These calls are a large reason why Atlanta walked away with the win tonight, but the officials don’t deserve all the blame.
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Credit where credit is due, both sides played really well tonight. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined for 40 in this thrilling first-round matchup, but Kelsey Mitchell didn’t leave a single stone unturned either. The Fever guard put up 27 points and 4 assists while shooting exactly 50% from the field. But what did the Fever HC have to say about this loss? Especially considering the technical she was awarded late in the game? Let’s find out.
Indiana HC and Caitlin Clark are not happy with tonight’s officiating
0-2 on challenges, 0-2 on technicals, Indiana just couldn’t catch a break today! Stephanie White’s team, although elated to be back in the playoffs, had a rough start to their postseason journey because of a 68-80 loss against Atlanta. There were too many fouls being thrown around, the play was really physical, and it was interesting to see how both sides were extremely passionate and unforgiving in their quest for a chip.
Indiana’s loss meant a lot of scrutiny on head coach White, and honestly? It’s undeserved. Her rotations were on point, her best player dropped 27 and 4, and she made the best of what she had. However, after the game, the Fever HC did hint at poor officiating as a possible reason for her team’s loss.
Tony East, an Indiana Fever beat reporter, shared, “Stephanie White points to fouls, and how they stopped the flow of the game, as issues in both the second and fourth quarter for the Fever. Also points generally to the margins as key in the loss today.” Highlighting a blatant, yet incredibly obvious issue. This isn’t the only similar report we’re getting.
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Even reputed Fieldhouse reporter Scott Agness laid it out clearly. “Fever have had enough of third-year official Marcy Williams. Issues all game — both for wrong calls and missed calls. Then soon after, Odyssey Sims got one.” He wrote in the middle of the game.
It will be interesting to see just how Indiana responds to these issues ahead of the second, win-or-go-home game. From what we know about Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever team, we can safely assume that they’ll be better than they were today. Stay tuned to watch this playoff series unfold, and for more updates around the WNBA.
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