10/02/26 12:48:00
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10/02 00:47 CDT Caitlin Clark rues what could have been as she and the Fever
head into offseason
Caitlin Clark rues what could have been as she and the Fever head into offseason
By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --- Injuries forced Caitlin Clark to sit on the bench a year ago
and watch her Fever teammates have their season ended by the Aces.
Clark was in the middle of the action this time, but the result was the same
after Las Vegas eliminated Indiana 94-83 in Game 3 of the first round Thursday
night.
"I'm just proud of this group," Clark said. "We weathered a lot. There's always
so much outside noise, a microscope on how we perform every single day. A lot
of really good moments. A lot of tough moments, too, where we felt we probably
gave a lot of opportunities away. It's what hurts a little bit. We could've put
ourselves in a better spot going into the postseason."
The Fever had the chance to possibly get home-court advantage in the first
round, but went 4-4 to end the season and entered the playoffs with the sixth
seed. That put them up against the third-seeded Aces, who have won three of the
past four WNBA championships.
Even Las Vegas isn't scrutinized as much as Indiana, mostly because of Clark's
presence. To many, she is the face of the league, even though the Aces' A'ja
Wilson likely will extend her record for MVPs to five.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver referred to Clark as a "political football" in
July, and many of her fans claim she gets officiated differently than other
players, that opponents are free to be more physical with her.
Those fans could cite what happened in the fourth quarter as such an example
when Clark suffered a bloody mouth after taking a shot to her face. She pleaded
her case to the officials, but no foul was called, and Clark fiddled with what
appeared to be a loose tooth in the postgame news conference.
"Your guess would be as good as mine," Clark said on why there was no foul.
Now she and Fever head into the offseason.
Clark spoke before the game that expectations are for them to win the
championship at some point, and she said she believed the Fever have the talent
to accomplish that. She spoke afterward of the parity in the league and said
any team in the playoffs can win the title.
The Fever came close to beating Las Vegas and maybe making a run at it, twice
cutting the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter.
But after the Fever scored 31 points in the first quarter, they didn't have
more than 18 in any of the three remaining periods.
Clark scored 11 points in the opening quarter, making 4 of 7 shots that
included 3 of 6 from 3-point range. After that period, she scored seven points
while making 2 of 11 baskets and missing all six 3-point attempts.
"They made it difficult, but we've made a lot of those shots throughout the
year, too," Clark said. "At the same time, we were right there despite some of
the poor shooting."
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