A bloodied Caitlin Clark pleading for a foul call was one of the two most circulated moments on social media after the Indiana Fever crashed out of the first round of the playoffs on Thursday. The other one featured Lexie Hull being called for a foul against Breanna Turner, a moment former ESPN host Linda Cohn raised questions about.
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“Something else happened in the second quarter, where Fever fans were realizing that here we go again with the officiating in that second quarter… when Lexi Hull gets whistled for her third foul after she was the one who was body-slammed. It was a WWE move,” Cohn said on her YouTube channel.
During the viral play, Turner, who was demanding the ball from Chelsea Gray, was being defended by Hull around the basket. Both players got extra physical, and their arms tangled up. The next moment, both players were on the floor. Cohn agreed with Hull that Turner should have been called for a foul.
“And so it was at that point you just had this feeling… not that the Las Vegas Aces need help from the officiating. They’re so good, they’re so deep. Why do they need help from the officials? But they got it at big points in this game.”
The Aces clearly seemed like the better team in the series. They had better shooting numbers from everywhere. While the Indiana Fever surprisingly had better defensive numbers, the gap wasn’t big enough to defeat the defending champions. However, at the conclusion of Game 3, the officiating took center stage.
Another video from the fourth quarter also went viral. While competing for a rebound, Jewell Loyd’s elbow hit Clark’s face, and she was seen holding her face with a painful expression. Seconds later, she was seen showing her bloodied teeth, calling for a foul. The referee denied the call.
Cohn also had an issue with the officiating when Caitlin Clark and Breanna Turner were both assessed technicals during the second quarter. While the Fever huddled up on the court, Turner entered their huddle. Clark reacted by shoving the Aces player. While Cohn loved the aggression from Clark, she still had questions about the validity of the double technical.
However, despite questioning the officiating, Cohn didn’t deny that the Aces were a better team, and the Indiana Fever failed to play winning basketball.
“Fever shot horribly. They could not convert easy buckets like they’re used to converting off of Caitlyn Clark’s passes. Both Clark and Mitchell, the dynamic duo, were not dynamic… A’ja Wilson came out flying, and Chelsea Gray, give her credit, she was outstanding.”
Indiana shot 38% from the field, including a horrible 28% shooting from the 3-point line. Despite that, their defensive intensity kept them in the game. Wilson (36) and Gray combined for 59 points, shooting 19-of-33 field goals.
“We’ve got to give credit to the Aces,” Clark said.
“I thought they played well. I thought they were ready to go. That’s what championship teams do.”
Had Clark and Kelsey Mitchell had an outing like Game 2, the result would have been different. They shot 13-of-41, combined. That never amounts to a winning basketball game, especially for a team like the Fever, where they have limited scoring options if both Clark and Mitchell have an off night.
Indiana has big questions to address in the offseason. While they have a good roster, they still need more offensive names who can make and create their own shots. They also need to address their defense, which the Aces exploited throughout the series. Despite having the best offensive numbers in the league, the Fever were never a locked-in championship team.