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The Indiana Fever lost to the LA Sparks on Tuesday, falling to 1-7 on the young season. Head coach Christie Sides has now become the target of criticism due to a questionable second half rotation that had a major impact on the outcome.
Sides’ team led late in the third quarter as they looked to land that second victory. With a little less than five minutes left in the period, the coach removed Caitlin Clark from the floor.
At the time, the sharpshooter had racked up 18 of her game-high 30 points.
Caitlin Clark getting it done on both ends 💪
She gets the block and knocks down the deep three 💯 pic.twitter.com/ieTPIidkrp
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 28, 2024
She had her opponent so keyed in on their defensive assignments that one rattled player completely forgot she was supposed to be at the line shooting free throws.
Aari McDonald was so worried about picking up Caitlin Clark full court that she forgot about her second free throw. 😭pic.twitter.com/rPUykBXxLq
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 29, 2024
Clark would remain on the bench for the rest of the quarter, watching her team go scoreless over the final 2:34 of that stretch.
The Sparks went on an 11-0 run with the rookie on the sidelines, turning a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead. They’d coast to an 88-82 win, never trailing in the fourth quarter.
Fans immediately focused in on that scoreless drought, blaming Christie Sides for the defeat.
“Christie Sides is the worst basketball coach I’ve ever seen. It’s just utter incompetence night after night. Caitlin has 18… Sits with 4:44 in the 3rd. When she returns to the game 4 minutes later the Fever are down 4.”
“Drink every time Christie Sides rotates in the worst players when the Fever is finally ahead.”
“Christie Sides deserves to lose this game. Caitlin getting everyone involved, Fever get a lead, take her out for five minutes. Are you kidding me?”
“If coach Christie Sides doesn’t get fired soon, we will lose a lot of the fanbase because of her coaching decisions.”
Is Christie Sides to blame for the loss?
Yes, she took her star player out at what turned out to be an inopportune time, but Caitlin Clark can’t play every second of every game. Sides has the unfortunate task of making those rotation decisions while still trying to manage the game and the health of her roster.
It’s also worth noting that the Fever let up a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter of that six-point loss with Clark on the floor. In that time, the No. 1 draft pick committed two fouls, lost two turnovers, and missed her only shot.
That drought turned a one-point game into a 13-point lead for the Sparks, putting the game out of reach for Indiana.
In short, this is a growing pain that comes with turning around a franchise that’s failed to record a winning season in a decade. Still, it won’t stop the critics from voicing their opinions.