It would be easy to be frustrated as an Indiana Fever fan by what took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. A furious start to the second half — punctuated by a preposterous Caitlin Clark three to beat the third-quarter buzzer — spotted the team a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter against the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty.
From there, things slowly but surely fell apart down the stretch. Clark slogged through a miserable shooting game, hitting just 2-of-11 from deep on the day, and Indiana scored a grand total of 12 points in the final period to fall, 90-88, after Sabrina Ionescu knocked down the game-winning free throws in the final seconds.
Indiana now sits at an awfully misleading 2-2, having missed a golden opportunity to notch another statement win at home. Clark was visibly frustrated after the Fever's final possession went up in smoke, and this one's going to sting for a bit. But if you zoom out a little bit, Saturday was actually reason to feel great about things moving forward. Not just because Clark isn't going to go that cold for that long on a normal day; but because unlike last year, the rest of her team was finally willing and able to pick up the slack.
Fever supporting cast proves itself amid Caitlin Clark's struggles in loss to Liberty
Clark managed to drag the Fever to a .500 record and a playoff berth last season, but "dragging" really is what it felt like. Despite Clark's sensational rookie year, it never felt like Indiana was more than a one-woman show — or a team to be taken seriously in the title chase.
On Saturday, however, the script was completely flipped. Outside of a short burst in the third quarter (and some admittedly incredible passing, as usual), Clark played one of the worst games of her WNBA career, turning the ball over 10 times and finishing 6-of-18 from the floor. And yet, there the Fever were, taking arguably the most talented team in the league right down to the wire.
And it wasn't just Aliyah Boston, either. Kelsey Mitchell did her usual spark plug thing, while Sophie Cunningham continues to round into form and DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard provided valuable frontcourt minutes for a team that was giving plenty in the way of size to New York. Four Fever players scored 15 points or more, and while Clark's gravity certainly helps even on possession when she isn't taking a shot, Indiana was able to generate more offense without relying on its superstar guard.
Of course, there's still plenty of work to be done, especially on the defensive end, where Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Co. were able to have their way a little bit both early and late. This Fever rebuild isn't fully polished just yet. But it's clear from Saturday's performance just how much ground Indiana has been able to cover in only one offseason, and that bodes very, very well for the future with Clark at the helm.