Caitlin Clark Passes Diana Taurasi’s Test in Phoenix
The Fever rookie delivered in her first game on Taurasi’s turf, even (finally) drawing high praise from the Mercury veteran.
As much that is out there about Caitlin Clark phenomena, about the record attendance numbers and skyrocketing television ratings, about the flashy passing and limitless three-point range, you have to experience it in person to truly understand. There is a rare collection of stars in sports that just have it. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Mahomes. After four years of college basketball and a handful of games in the pros, it’s clear that Clark is one of them.
On Sunday, Clark was in Phoenix, the latest stop in her WNBA rookie tour. Hundreds of fans in Clark jerseys—some from Iowa, some from Indiana—walked the concourse while thousands more filled the seats. The roars picked up when Clark was introduced and were deafening when her first three-point shot—a running 29-footer from the Phoenix Mercury logo—dropped in. This was a home game for the Mercury but let’s be honest: Most of the 17,071 in attendance bought tickets to see the Indiana Fever star play.
There was a big-game feel inside Footprint Center, and as regular-season matchups go it was one. Neither Indiana (8–12) or Phoenix (9–9) is a title contender—not yet, anyway—but that didn’t matter. Basketball is a team sport but its popularity is built around individuals. It was Fever vs. Mercury but really it was Clark vs. Diana Taurasi, the greatest women’s basketball player of all time vs. the woman who could someday supplant her.
And the game delivered. Six lead changes, four ties. The Mercury led by as many as 15 in the first half. In the third quarter the Fever got their lead as high as 10. Taurasi scored 19 points. Clark collected 15. While Clark’s shot (4–14) wasn’t falling she made an impact with her playmaking (12 assists) and on the glass (nine rebounds), playing nearly the full 40 minutes while battling an illness that kept her from addressing reporters after the game. In the fourth quarter, with Indiana clinging to a one-point lead, Clark knocked down two free throws with 19 seconds left to seal a win for the Fever.
“It’s amazing what Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career,” said Taurasi. “So far, just been nothing short of remarkable.”
Instead, there was nothing but smiles between two of women’s basketball’s most recognizable faces. They hugged before the game, exchanging a laugh before the opening tip. In the first half they met near center court during a break in the action, talking for over a minute before play resumed. And as little as Taurasi had to say about Clark before the game, she had plenty to say after.
“The one thing that I really love about her, she loves the game,” said Taurasi. “You can tell she’s put the work in. And even throughout her short WNBA career, it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game.”
There is pressure but make no mistake, Clark was built for this. At 22, she has the maturity of a decades-long pro, batting away loaded questions as effortlessly as she does jump shots. Knocked down by Chennedy Carter? “Basketball’s competitive,” said Clark. Left off the U.S. Olympic team? “Just gives you something to work for,” Clark said. Ahead of Clark being drafted, Taurasi said she was in for a reality check. Before Sunday’s game, Clark referred to Taurasi as one of her idols.
“I just admired the way she played the game and the fire that she played with,” said Clark. “It’s impressive that she’s still able to play this game at such a high level and produce the way she does. It’s incredible. I think she’s obviously the best scorer our game has ever seen and one of the best players our game has ever seen.”
Taurasi, 42, has a two-decade head start on Clark but it may not be long before she’s chasing those labels. Clark’s shooting gets the attention but her playmaking sets her apart. Slip passes, bounce passes, long leads up the floor; she’s Pete Maravich with a ponytail. Clark averages 5.6 turnovers per game but many of them have bounced off the hands of teammates that don’t see them coming.
“You just have to be ready,” said Fever forward Aliyah Boston. “And I think sometimes too when she’s getting blitzed as much as she does, she’ll find a way to [make] the passes. So just making sure that we’re in her spaces and then especially in transition, she’s looking to get the ball out, looking to push, and so we just have to keep running.”
Caitlin Clark didn’t build the WNBA but Sunday’s game is further evidence that she is supercharging it. The foundation that was laid by Taurasi and Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper and Maya Moore now has the kind of shooter the women’s game has never seen to add on to it. Just like Curry spawned a generation of long-range shooters in the men’s game, Clark can do the same for the women.
“What she’s done nationally for the game has been pretty incredible,” said Taurasi. “Her future is super bright. Being a veteran and being in this league for a long, long time, it’s pretty cool to see that and going into the future.”
Indeed. As Clark finished a postgame interview thousands of fans stuck around to cheer her off the floor. She smiled, waved and signed a few autographs before disappearing down a tunnel. The trip to Phoenix was a success. Another city is waiting.
Caitlin Clark, Diana Taurasi squash beef at Mercury loss to Fever
Five technical fouls. Two Flagrant 1s. And none called on Diana Taurasi or Caitlin Clark.
Sunday’s Phoenix Mercury game against the Indiana Fever was chippy to say the least, but it wasn’t because of the matchup everyone had eagerly anticipated.
With Taurasi’s 20-plus years in the WNBA, five Olympic trips and records upon records, audiences waited in anticipation for the duel after Taurasi told SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt that “reality is coming” earlier this year.
But the reality is just that both players are looking to win. Both are looking to grow the league and to pave the way for women’s sports, win championships and nothing more.
Taurasi crushed any beef, perceived or otherwise, ahead of Sunday’s game. She took the floor, tucked in her jersey and walked straight over to the rookie. The two hugged it out seconds before tip-off.
This isn’t the rookie against the vet. Taurasi’s pregame, in-game and postgame acknowledgement confirmed that it really is just competitor against competitor.
“What Caitlin has been able to do in her short career so far is nothing short of remarkable,” Taurasi said after the Mercury loss. “One thing I love about her (Clark) is that she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in.
“Even throughout her short WBNA career, she’s had a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and getting better in games.”
The rest of the rosters didn’t seem so keen to keep outside attention outside the arena.
Tensions rose, and technicals were thrown out to Griner in the first quarter, Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper and the Fever’s Temi Fagbenle and Erica Wheeler in the second.
“That’s just kind of who we are,” Tibbets said about the chippy plays in the postgame news conference.
Taurasi took the time when refs were replaying the four-technical-foul play to approach Clark once again. The two stood at half court, talking back and forth and laughing as technicals were handed out to their teammates.
The Clark effect made its way into the stands and onto the jerseys of the X-Factor, the Mercury’s intense and loyal fanbase, at the Sunday matchup. The Mercury’s hometown crowd didn’t seem to really be there to support the home town.
The crowd was littered with Clark jerseys, her red, blue and yellow “22” sprinkled throughout every level of the arena. The X-Factor largely swapped out their normal Taurasi, Copper and Griner gear to support the rookie phenomenon.
They were ready to follow Clark into battle, even if it was against their own team. They lined the first few rows in all directions at Footprint Center, waiting eagerly with their pens, posters and jerseys ready for the Iowa alum to sign.
“It’s strange for sure,” Taurasi said about hearing the X-Factor cheer for both the Fever and the Mercury.
Some fans, sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder with Clark fanatics stayed true to the Mercury, holding a sign that said “Who’s Caitlin? I’m here for Diana Taurasi” and breaking out posters for Brittney Griner to sign when she left the court after warmups. A few loud and proud stayed committed, dawning Mercury jerseys.
Clark’s arrival in the Valley brought out Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. The All-Star guard sat courtside next to Mercury and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia. Even though Clark’s presence probably helped in his decision to attend Sunday’s game, Booker stayed true to his town, cheering on the Mercury and signing autographs for fans in the stands.
The much-anticipated game and all the hype and attention that came with it didn’t affect how head coach Nate Tibbets looked at the game plan. For him and the Mercury, it was just another day at the office.
Friday’s game against the Sparks brought 14,363 fans to Footprint Center. On Sunday, the arena reached 17,071 in attendance. When asked about the conversations Tibbetts had with his players after Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks regarding Sunday’s game, he kept it short.
“I told them ‘We are playing the Indiana Fever,’” Tibbetts said at Sunday’s pregame news conference.
For Taurasi and the Mercury, it was just another game. For Clark and the young Fever team, it was a chance to play against their idols, the veterans. Clark was ready, saying before the game that Taurasi is one of the players she admired as she grew up watching WNBA games. She called Taurasi the “best scorer the game has ever seen.”
For all the tension and controversy surrounding Clark and Taurasi’s relationship, the heat seemed to touch everyone but them during Sunday’s game. Taurasi finished the game with 19 points and Clark recorded another double-double — nearly the first-ever WNBA rookie triple-double — with 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
With the 88-82 loss, the Mercury moved to 9-9 (7-3 at home). The fans of Iowa, the Indiana Fever and Clark made enough noise to play at least a small role in keeping Phoenix from protecting home court.
It proved that whatever the Clark effect may be, it seemed to work in the Valley.
