The Caitlin Clark Effect: Fever Are On 5-1 Run & Sold Out The Atlanta Hawks’ Arena In Latest Win

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Caitlin Clark
@JoePompliano

Angel Reese must be punching air incessantly right about now. And I would be too if I were her and I kept being such a foolish, pedantically antagonizing villain to Caitlin Clark, aka the face of women’s basketball.

It’ll never not be funny that Clark was drafted to the WNBA’s worst team, was snubbed from Team USA’s Summer Olympics squad, and proceeded to lead the Indiana Fever on a 5-1 run to get right back into the playoff mix.

But as Reese is too petty to admit, Clark’s impact transcends what she does on the court in elevating her teammates. She is pure BOX OFFICE, BABY. How about the Atlanta Dream having to move their game into the Hawks’ NBA arena, and that venue selling out?

Could you name a player on the Dream team (Olympic pun intended)? I can’t. Yet there were over 17,000 people packed into State Farm Arena on Friday night to witness the glorious history unfolding of Clark’s continued blossoming into a WNBA star.

And while I get that some people might point out that Clark is still mistake-prone and leads the league in turnovers, perhaps making an example of her subpar supporting cast…

…To the credit of those women, they stepped up in a big way on Friday, as four Fever players joined Clark with double-figure scoring nights.

How about that? Oh, and while people like me continue to call out Reese as long as she’s getting butthurt over every little Caitlin Clark-related positive development, the face of women’s basketball — figured I’d say those exact words more than once for effect — is still taking the high road.

Translation: I don’t give a f**k about Angel Reese. As well she shouldn’t.

Tell me, is Allen Iverson pulling up to watch Angel hoop? Or is he more interested in one of the most dynamic playmakers the sport has ever seen on the ladies’ side?

You know The Answer. The question was rhetorical.

So get this: Clark and Reese square off again on Sunday. When they faced off last week, Clark got a whack to the noggin from Reese on a Flagrant 1 foul. The time before that? Reese cheered from the bench as her teammate called Clark a b***h and shoved her to the canvas out of nowhere.

Should be women’s hoops cinema on Sunday in the Windy City when the Fever take on Reese’s Chicago Sky, who they’ve beaten twice already. Wonder what Angel’s been up to lately. Oh that’s right. Should pack her bags for her next charter flight down the court.

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