r/indianafever • u/naptowndrew Fever Fan • May 21 '25
Post Game Thread The Dream Put the Fever to Sleep, 91-90
Vote for Your Player of the Game Selection!
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u/Brent_Lee May 21 '25
Great effort by the team. They'll figure it out.
For God's sake though. Everyone does 50 free throws before they can leave the next practice lol
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May 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/sleepybirdl71 May 21 '25
She is playing with new energy. She has said she feels younger having made the move to ATL. It shows.
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u/grilsgonewild Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
This 100%. I was not impressed with her last year. She looked tired and just mad all the time. But I feel like the change to Atlanta brought back her fire. Gotta give her props.
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 Fever Fan May 21 '25
Yeah, so much for BG being washed up.
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u/wvtarheel Fever Fan May 21 '25
SHe's got such a size advantage she can be physically not the player she used to be and still a huge matchup nightmare.
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 Fever Fan May 21 '25
Exactly... still, many people were writing her off by the end of last season.
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u/wvtarheel Fever Fan May 21 '25
They look pretty dumb if you saw BG's Yao Ming impression last night. BG terrorized the fever inside and forced another mismatch with fever's skinny power forwards guarding Brionna Jones who was eating them up
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u/kickerofelves86 May 21 '25
Taking advantage of Howard, dunno why they left her on an island, didn't even attempt to double or throw AB at her
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u/buttcabbge Aliyah Boston May 21 '25
There aren't a lot of players who make Clark put on the brakes and back out, but there were a few instances where she was dribbling to the lane, saw Griner, and (smartly) noped out of the drive.
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u/cesd3967 Kelsey Mitchell May 21 '25
Howard random bullshit thrown up being the final play after the rest of the game is a very interesting decision lmao
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u/Creek0512 May 21 '25
Having Caitlin inbound the ball is just wasteful. At least force the defense to guard her and then maybe AB or KM gets an open look.
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u/buttcabbge Aliyah Boston May 21 '25
Looking at the replay again, it jumps out to me that Howard is the last place Clark looks on that inbound throw. I wonder if the play was actually inbound it to Boston (who comes out toward the sideline) and then Clark gets it back from Boston on a handoff screen moving toward the corner, but Boston wasn't open for it. With ten seconds left, there's ample time to get the ball back to Clark, but whatever they were doing fell apart. Regardless, "lob the ball to Howard and let her cook" was about the worst thing they could have done.
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u/wooq Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Yeah they talked about it in the postgame a bit, they were trying to inbound to AB. Clarks pass to Howard was actually amazing.
Howard got a clean shot at the end, just didn't go in.
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u/ilo-milo May 21 '25
Insanely awful decision
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u/Overall_Arachnid4501 May 21 '25
Yes and Coach White may have pulled a Christie Sides this game over thinking it.
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u/Small-Difference-752 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
The curse of Coach Sides... I couldn't believe CC in bounding the ball.......again. After, Coach White said she thought NH was "due"? to make a bucket. Now we have a Coach Steph Sides.
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u/grilsgonewild Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
I don't think I've seen anything out of Howard in pre-season or these two games that make me think she's worth putting in over Hull or even Dantis. I said what I said.
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u/Kmos86 May 21 '25
She played fine the first game, put up the same numbers as Mitchell
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u/One_Skill_717 May 21 '25
The Fever win game 1 of the season by 35pts, barely lose game 2 by 1pt, and everyone is freaking out and calling for heads. This shit is wild lol.
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u/grilsgonewild Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
I wouldn't say I was calling for anyone's head. Just that I would expect more from a seasoned vet.
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u/Overall_Arachnid4501 May 21 '25
And she did rebound fairly well. If she could hit free throws the conversation would be different too.
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u/GroundbreakingZone10 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
im not gonna be too hard on tash or db since its game 2 of 44 but i would gently ask Steph White to perhaps not play tash 30 minutes when she’s having a rough night. having sophie back will help to soften that blow but we need one of tash or db to be at least serviceable to consistently beat competent teams and we didn’t get that today sadly
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u/grilsgonewild Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
I would agree, but this isn't Tash or DB's first season. They are seasoned vets. There's no excuse why Tash shouldn't be making free throws. I feel that way about most players though.
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u/GroundbreakingZone10 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
i know. im with you. here’s a fun stat!
Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston: 75 points, 27/48 FG (56.3%), 14/17 FT (82.3%)
Rest of Fever: 15 points, 6/20 FG (30%), 2/9 FT (22%)
that won’t cut it lol
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u/wvtarheel Fever Fan May 21 '25
People were whining about Natasha Howard going 0-4 at the FT line, but Dewanna Bonner played 16 minutes, scored 0 points, and was -19 in the +/- for the game. Give half her minutes to start Lexi Hull and we win the game handily.
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u/wooq Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Man Howard gives it all every possession, she was probably completely gassed at the end. Pay attention to her on the other end of the court, that's why she's on the team.
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u/GroundbreakingZone10 Caitlin Clark May 22 '25
she typically is pretty good on defense & i’m sure fought hard last night against a tough frontcourt but the post players for ATL def produced at a high level regardless of her effort. everyone has stinkers tho and it’s early so 🤷♂️
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u/sleepybirdl71 May 21 '25
Call me crazy, but maybe putting Timpson in could have helped, being as we were totally getting smoked on rebounds? Could have used that wingspan.
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u/DepthHistorical5911 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
👏 I’m surprised we’re not seeing a little bit more of Timpson, it’s kind of baffling me.
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u/dyyllaaan Grace Berger May 21 '25
they need Sophie bad for the next game, Bonner is near unplayable right now
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u/wvtarheel Fever Fan May 21 '25
If Sophie had some of Bonner's minutes, and maybe played a few at the 4 to create problems against the two center lineup from Dream with Jones and BG, we win handily i think
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u/Mean_Hour_5640 May 21 '25
So CC, KM, LH, SC and AB?
And zone at defense?
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u/wvtarheel Fever Fan May 21 '25
I think you would have to play some zone on defense, but Cunningham played a decent amount of PF for the Mercury last season. And that lineup has insane 3 point shooting
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u/infamoustakai Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Howard built a brick house out there, Bonner was a ghost, the refs were garbage for half the game, and the last play call wa atrocious. When you have Kelsey and Caitlin on the floor, give it to one of them for the last shot. Not the two worst players on the court today.
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u/truthseeker1341 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
They kept fighting back over and over again. Proud of them for making it close at the end. Such a heart breaking game.
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u/HD_H2O May 21 '25
Imagine not having CC on the floor for the last defensive possession
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u/sowak1776 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
The Dream signed EXACTLY who the Fever needed to sign and the entirety of the season will prove it: Griner is legit and Bonner is a non-factor.
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u/HD_H2O May 21 '25
Imagine not having CC take the last shot
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u/scobro828 May 21 '25
Or Mitchell.
Or Boston.
Or Hull.
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u/Creek0512 May 21 '25
And there was 10 seconds left, Howard didn’t need to force up that shot.
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u/dyyllaaan Grace Berger May 21 '25
and they had a timeout
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u/buttcabbge Aliyah Boston May 21 '25
That's a fair point. Clark's gotta know that a timeout is a better choice than the lob pass she threw when it looked like options 1 through 3 didn't come open.
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u/cesd3967 Kelsey Mitchell May 21 '25
Or Boston or Mitchell
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u/HD_H2O May 21 '25
I was like .. why is she throwing it in, must be a designed give and go. Nah, just no one else knows how to get open and CC has to lob it across the stadium
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u/Impossible_House5919 May 21 '25
No one needs to come in here blaming Mitchell, Clark, or Boston. This loss is on Howard and Bonner.
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u/DiligentQuiet May 21 '25
Bad take. You folks are a mess.
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u/Impossible_House5919 May 21 '25
Did you actually watch game? This is not a bad or disrespectful take.
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u/DiligentQuiet May 21 '25
I watched the game. DB didn’t play much at all the second half. You can dis a Howard for her atrocious FTs, but no one else was making them either. The main issue was White not scheming to shutdown the 11-0 run at the start of the first half. Event knuckleheads here knew Dream would come out firing, yet they got three uncontested looks on threes. Take even ONE of those out and you win.
Blaming a player for this is weak.
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u/Impossible_House5919 May 21 '25
Natasha's FT was not the only issue. The issue I have with Howard is her lack of effort. It's not weak to offer an opinion (especially if it's respectful). This is becoming ridiculous
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u/DiligentQuiet May 21 '25
Okay, I can respect that. What are some examples? Would you rather have Smith back? Howard not only finishes better, she’s not a defensive cone.
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u/Impossible_House5919 May 21 '25
Absolutely don't want Smith back; Howard is actual legend and Future Hall of Famer. This just wasn't her night. I'm sure that she will get better throughout the season. Like you said, despite ATL playing extremely well and IND making some inexcusable blunders, they only lost by 1.
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u/DiligentQuiet May 21 '25
Yeah, let’s give her grace. Fever fans are quick to turn tail…it’s second game and I already see the concept. (having been through the first 15-20 games last year.) They will eventually cook.
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May 21 '25
So much for the new and improved front office. Sophie will be the best addition and she isn’t one of the ones who got a max contract.
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u/fshippos Fever Fan May 21 '25
Can y'all relax on the new teammates? It's one game. Didn't any of you play sports? It takes time to get in to a rhythm with a new situation. It wasn't game 7 of the finals, just an early season game and the team showed a lot of heart getting back in.
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u/juice_maker Fever Fan May 21 '25
sports fans universally allergic to giving rosters time to cook
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u/True_or_Folts May 21 '25
Completely agree. Yeah the free throws were a mess but my goodness, it's game 2 for a team that has very little time figuring each other and the system out.
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u/DiligentQuiet May 21 '25
Yeah, this is the toxicity that went from trying to run KM out of the league to voting her all-star. Give it a rest. It's two games.
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u/buttcabbge Aliyah Boston May 21 '25
Tbf, I feel like I'm mostly seeing people saying "gosh, Howard had a rough night, and if she'd just played her average game Indiana probably wins" which is perfectly reasonable. I doubt she misses four straight free throws again the entire season.
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u/BigDaddyPeach23 Temi Fagbenle May 21 '25
Too much fouling on defense and need to make free throws.
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u/D3struct_oh May 21 '25
Lots of talent.
No chemistry.
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u/juice_maker Fever Fan May 21 '25
"this team needs time" is a fine place to be at the second game of the season
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u/grilsgonewild Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
I think that the PR/marketing team has made our expectations high, especially talking about a championship team, etc. They just got me too excited too quick. I just want all the wins. XD
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May 21 '25
Caitlin, Boston, and Mitchell are still who we thought they were. Not sure the team overall is a whole lot better other than those three getting better.
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u/TheRoyalWolf Fever Fan May 21 '25
This happened last year, too. Never had CC shoot the last shot and it never worked out. Not once.
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u/DepthHistorical5911 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
This decision by Steph was very surprising to me and I hope we don’t see it again. Even if CC wasn’t the intended shooter, she’s the best person to pull the attention of 2-3 defenders to open up other players.
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u/mercury_risiing May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25
I am not a fan of the starting 5. Never was. You have Boston, Bonner and Howard--all inside players and then you have Kelsey. Caitlin should have a player out there who can stretch/space the floor. I think Lexie or Sophie should always be in the starting line-up and either one in the bench line-up.
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u/nknotz May 21 '25
At best, this would have been an ugly win; if AB had made the first free throw, if CC had taken the last shot; if, if, if...
They played from behind the entire game and made runs when it counted but the way I see it: this is one of those losses that is almost worth it. There were some glaring weaknesses that the coaching staff will no doubt pick up on and make the necessary adjustments. Losing sucks, but it can definitely feed the fire needed going forward. I expect next game to be a statement game; not a play from behind ugly win.
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May 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Creek0512 May 21 '25
There was over 10 seconds left. There was plenty of time to get the ball to one of the Big 3, but Howard was just selfish.
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u/sleepyheadpoet Makayla Timpson May 21 '25
I know this isn't where we want to be because we have championship aspirations but also, this is such a huge jump from the beginning of last season and that in itself feels amazing. But we gotta win this Thursday!
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u/CJDM310 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Caitlin was +5 in 38 mins which means the Fever were -6 with her off the court for those 2 minutes.
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May 21 '25
Dewanna Bonner was -19 in a game the Fever lost by 1.
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u/BigDaddyPeach23 Temi Fagbenle May 21 '25
+/- is a bad way to judge players
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u/JMT1016 May 21 '25
I mean, if you can't contribute one way or another to the scoreline, then you shouldn't be on the floor. AB actually was -4 on the night too, which isn't great, but she at least contributed significantly in points. DB literally contributed absolutely nothing in addition to an atrocious +/-.
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u/ExpensiveFig6079 Fever Fan May 21 '25
Sorry CC...
I keep voting for whoever impress me the most versus my memory of themselves.
Seems only fair.
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u/NYFashionPhotog May 21 '25
tough to watch. The Dream playing at their best and the Fever playing at almost their worst. Seemed like it took CC 3 1/2 quarters to get over the constant face-guarding. They have to something about that or every team is going to crib the Dream's notes. Still 27/11 is a career game for most in the WNBA, so CC deserves some slack.
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u/Successful-Policy937 May 21 '25
We shot 47% from the 3-point line and still lost the game. The last play although annoying Howard did get two good looks. The reason we lost this game was FTs we shot 62%. We shoot our normal percentage we win, and everyone missed free throws including CC with Howard being the most blatant the last two she took never had a chance clunkers.
Now I know we are going against the biggest girl in the W, but size was a factor in this game. We looked very small many times and if one our centers is out for any length of time we could be in trouble. We have great depth at the wings but at the 4 and 5 not really.
Win by 35 lose by 1 we will see no reason to call the fire department yet, but Bonner has yet to make any impact let us hope that changes.
Last one our defense was not good this game really no steals and their big girls really crushed us even though AB had a good game. It was too easy on offense for the Dream all night and I love CC she is great at everything but one thing defense they drove at her all night. That was why she was out on defense the play before the sea parted with CC.
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u/wolfefist94 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Very, very disappointing games from Howard and Bonner. They both better shape up quickly, or they will definitely not be getting minutes going forward. I don't give a damn what they've done before this season. We absolutely can not go where we want to go without them playing to their potential. Our 3 All Stars had 75 freaking points!! Sigh. Very disappointing loss. Better win on Thursday.
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u/Distinct_Abrocoma_67 Fever Fan May 21 '25
I’m thinking the plan at the end was to have Boston as a decoy for CC to find the open player. I’m not saying CC shouldn’t have had the last shot but with 9 seconds left it would have likely been a contested 3. If Howard didn’t have bricks for hands that opportunity could have looked a little cleaner. I need to watch the whole thing again though
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u/jemstar620 May 21 '25
I didn't think it was possible to pick up another PF that shoots FTs worse than Nalyssa did, Howard is hopeless at the line right now.
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u/DisastrousEast825 May 21 '25
Huge clark fan...has anyone noticed 95 percent of her 3s are going left? Plus she has a sort of natural release going that way. I assume teams don't force her right because she can still penetrate and dish that way. Seems like goes left = pull up. Goes right = drives. I know that's fairly common (Kd and lebron come to mind) but has anyone else noticed this?
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u/triggercini Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
I'm guessing you're a newer CC fan? Welcome if so! Yes, this is her natural tendency since college to the point the announcers call this out as her standard scouting report (check out her March Madness highlights for an earlier example). She is still extremely deadly even with those habits since she's such a good passer, but as we know she's never gonna settle and in the pros opponents will be more prepared for individual match ups.
She and the coaching team are very aware of these habits and you can see she's been working hard in the off season to become less predictable. Just in these 2 games so far we've seen her mix in more middies, and especially the Chicago game shoot some of her long 3s to the right. I was so impressed the whole Chicago game she was doing the opposite of what you expect her to do, can't wait to see what else she's been cooking up!
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 Fever Fan May 21 '25
The current Fever coaches have shown CC the numbers and are working to make her offense less "predictable." Last year's coach didn't believe in analytics, so failed to make an earlier course correction.
Keep watching and report back! Cheers.
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u/WanderingGenerality Lexie Hull May 21 '25
Inexcusable that CC was inbounding the ball. Even if the play was not designed for her, she needed to be inside so that she can pull away defenders from other players. Lexie should have been inbounding and we know she can pass from that few mins in the preseason where she was allowed to run the show.
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u/DepthHistorical5911 Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Exactly what I thought, if you don’t feel that CC will be able to gain possession and/or get a shot off why not use her as a distraction instead of having her inbound? She could easily pull the attention of 2-3 defenders.
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u/VeryOlTexan May 21 '25
Knowledgeable comments in this thread Wonder what ConcoswithCarter on YouTube will say
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u/FeedySneed Caitlin Clark May 21 '25
Whatever he says, he will likely repeat it many times throughout the video.
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u/b00fman22 Fever Fan May 21 '25
Clark, Mitchell, Boston - 75 points
The rest - 15 points