The Indiana Fever have played better of late, winning five of their past seven games to get to 7-11 and right on the outside of the playoff race.
Currently the No. 9 seed, the Fever trail both the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream by a half game for that final playoff spot. The Fever’s turnaround can be attributed to a few things, including a much lighter schedule, and players seemingly getting more comfortable playing with No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark.
Head coach Christie Sides also deserves some credit for some of the schematic changes and adjustments she’s made as well. In all the Fever have looked much more like a basketball team the last few games, but not everyone is buying the sudden love fest that Sides and her players have been displaying. In fact, some fans believe Clark took a subtle dig at her coach during her recent acceptance speech for winning the Honda Cup Award that is given annually to the top female college athlete.
Clark Praised Lisa Bluder In Speech, Took Swipe At Sides?
Clark and acceptance speeches have become synonymous with all the hardware she’s collected over the last couple of seasons. With each one Clark has given credit to those who helped her achieve that moment. One person Clark always seems to thank and give credit to is her college coach at Iowa, Lisa Bluder, and that was no different this time. Following this latest speech, Fever fans fans ran with the notion that Clark was taking a jab at the aforementioned Sides, who has struggled a bit in her first season as a head coach.
“I think that the sisterhood at Iowa is the reason we were as good as we were,” Clark said via CBS Sports. “Coach Bluder, in my eyes, she’s the best leader I’ve ever been around in my life.”
“She knows how to build a team, she knows how to get individuals to work together.”
Fans Think Caitlin Clark Wants College Coach Lead Indiana Fever
Fans immediately took to X to discuss and interpret Clark’s words and why they sounded like a shot at Sides and her inability to galvanize her team.
That’s been in question since the season began, and despite the team’s recent success, Sunday’s 88-87 road loss to the Chicago Sky once again proved that Sides has a long way to go as coach.
During timeouts, you could see Clark and Sides in heated disagreements, and maybe that’s why Clark made those comments.
Clark was visibly frustrated with the lack of plays run to put her in scoring position late in the loss. In fact, Clark didn’t have a shot attempt over the game’s final four minutes plus. That would’ve never happened under Bluder, who ran her entire offense through the dynamic Clark at Iowa.
That led to back-to-back Final Four appearances that featured wins over LSU, South Carolina and UConn, teams Iowa had no business being able to compete with from a talent standpoint.
That goes back to Clark praising Bluder’s innate ability to build a team and get individuals to play with and for one another, something the Fever are still trying to rectify.
Clark Making History
Clark’s arrival has helped push the league to heights never seen as it pertains to visibility and exposure. On average Clark’s games are seeing 1.184 million viewers which is a WNBA record. All other games are averaging 428,000 viewers which is a 127,000 increase from last season. Sunday’s game between the Fever and Sky was the most-viewed game in 23 seasons with 2.25 million watching.
Clark is currently the only player in the WNBA in the top 20 in all five statistical categories, which are points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals per game.
As her game continues to grow and she and her teammates become more acclimated on the court, Clark’s numbers will look even better. And if Sides doesn’t figure it out the recently retired Bluder could be on her way to NapTown.
