Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are all the rave during the WNBA playoffs. Everybody is worried about how she plays, who’s roughing her up, who she’s roughing up and what the officials are looking at.
The latest drama surrounds her signature shoe, which Nike has put on hold — allegedly because they want to devote more time to WNBA three-time MVP A’ja Wilson’s shoe.
Sabrina Ionescu Tries To Regain Her Throne With 36-Point Playoff Explosion
It’s all very odd and political, but there’s nothing confusing or enhanced about Sabrina Ionescu’s Game 2 playoff performance against the Atlanta Dream. She delivered a New York Liberty playoff-record 36 points Tuesday night in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to lead them to a 2-0 sweep in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Now they prepare to face the Las Vegas Aces in a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals. Vegas and A’ja Wilson took the Liberty out 3-1 to win the city’s second consecutive title.
Ionescu has been the second-best player on her team to Breanna Stewart, who is top 10 all-time. The Liberty came into this season with a mission to sacrifice everything to make sure they don’t falter at the finish line again.
That included sharing the ball even more than they have in the past. Ionescu, known for her incredible scoring ability entering the league, is the floor general, leading the Liberty in average assists per game (6.2), while scoring formidably at 18.2 points per game.
While “Stewie” is the big name and No. 1 offensive threat with her multiplicity of moves around the basket and from the perimeter, Ionescu can easily explode for a 30-piece, and she’s among the greatest three-point shooters in WNBA history. When it comes to consistency and composure, Clark is not on Ionescu’s level yet.
People tend to forget that until it’s playoff time and the ante goes up. To win championships, it can never be about one person. Greatness is relative to a combination of getting busy when your number is called, knowing when to fall back into a secondary role and using humility to boost your creativity.
Ionescu can score with the best of them. She’s overcome career-threatening injuries that could have compromised her greatness.
Before Caitlin Clark became the new darling of the league, Ionescu was getting similar hype. She was the one who almost defeated the great Chef Curry in an historic three-point contest between the two superstars at the 2024 NBA All-Star Week in February.
With all of the attention given to Clark, A’ja Wilson and the rookies, the Liberty’s dominance has been disrespectfully overlooked by the media. They ran away with the best record in the league at 32-8 and the tandem of Ionescu and Stewart led the way. They are performers at the highest of levels and it’s shameful they aren’t given their proper due.
Inoescu, however, doesn’t let that bother her.
Ionescu Wants WNBA Championship, Was Inspired By Spike Lee High Five
“The ultimate goal is what it is. But, you know, every single game is a championship game to get to that final goal,” Ionescu told the press. “And obviously our goal is to not lose at home. So this was really important for us to come out, take these two and have a couple days off and kind of rest, recharge and get ready for whatever it is we’re going to play.”
In the postgame presser Ionescu, who had an historic scoring game while also posting nine assists and shooting 5-for-11 from the arc, said she was inspired by the presence of iconic New York Knicks fan Spike Lee sitting courtside.
“Spike Lee gave me a high five as I was going to take the balls out of bounds, and I felt like …New York was injected into my veins. At that moment I felt like we were winning it,” said Ionescu, who graduated from University of Oregon before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in 2020.
Ionescu’s teammate Jonquel Jones (20 points, 13 rebounds) has seen Ionescu’s growth up close.
“It’s just her being a great player and taking what the defense gives her,” Jones said Tuesday. “She can change the game in so many different ways. She does a really good job of playing the game and trusting teammates. She’s a big part of everything and I’m just happy to be able to see her shine on a big stage because we know that’s the kind of player she is.”
There’s Other Great WNBA Players Besides Caitlin Clark: Ionescu Deserved Better In MVP Vote
The new wave of WNBA fans who demand their oversaturation of Clark need to open their eyes, because they are missing some great basketball players. The obsession with elevating Clark to Michael Jordan status overshadows and misdirects attention that should be going to players who are just as great.
Ionescu is one of those players that inspired Caitlin Clark and the 27-year-old is in her prime, making history of her own.
Of the 15 players who received first- through fifth-place WNBA MVP votes, Ionescu got five third-place votes and finished sixth overall in the voting. Interestingly enough, her and Stewie combined for 57 third-place votes, which indicates that the Liberty were always an afterthought when it came to the most dynamic and captivating WNBA players this season.
Related: Caitlin Clark’s First Rookie Triple-Double In WNBA History Overshadows Sabrina Ionescu’s 22 Points
With Clark’s fourth-place finish, Ionescu definitely has a beef, but she will have to cook these playoffs and wait until next season for the individual accolades she deserves.
Stewart has won two MVPs and Ionescu still has plenty of time. She’s hunting her first WNBA title, and with that will come more respect and more attention on her masterful game.
