‘That was a non-basketball play.’ Fever coach on flagrant on Caitlin Clark
Christie Sides on her feelings about WNBA upgrade to flagrant foul, as well as teammates sticking up for each other.
Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides emphasized Chicago’s Chennedy Carter should have been called for a flagrant 1 foul Saturday when she shoved Caitlin Clark during a dead ball.
Upon review, the play was called a common foul, and Clark made a free throw. Had it been a flagrant, the Fever would have gotten a second free throw. The league upgraded the foul on Sunday.
The Fever beat the Sky 71-70, but the play has prompted a lot of conversation about how opposing players treat Clark, how Clark behaves (she leads the league with 3 technicals), and how Fever teammates react to physical play from opponents.
“This league is awesome. It’s physical. We get after it. But that was a non-basketball play,” Sides said Sunday before the Fever played the New York Liberty. “It needed to be called. It was a one-point game. It could’ve changed the game a little.”
Live updates: Fever, Clark vs Liberty score updates, highlights
Sides and Fever general manager Lin Dunn posted online after the game that Carter should have been assessed a flagrant 1.
The only Fever player near the play was Aliyah Boston, who helped Clark up but did not confront Carter.
“I didn’t even see it until after the press conference last night,” Sides said, noting the rest of the players were on the other end of the court while awaiting play to resume. “Just was a situation where no one really saw it happen.”
Before that play, Clark and Carter got tangled during a loose ball that resulted in a Fever basket. Clark appeared to say something to Carter as she headed down the court.