{"id":38014,"date":"2026-08-11T05:37:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=38014"},"modified":"2026-08-11T05:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:37:40","slug":"fever-circus-only-overshadowing-caitlin-clarks-vintage-tear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=38014","title":{"rendered":"Fever circus only overshadowing Caitlin Clark&#8217;s vintage tear"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2Fnewspress-collage-8vhwwfs0c-1786408495619.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261786394149\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The Fever circus rolls on.<\/p>\n<p>Another day, another drama, another headline.<\/p>\n<p>But what\u2019s been lost when every basketball possession becomes evidence in a larger argument is that Caitlin Clark has been playing really good basketball.<\/p>\n<p>Her passing is ridiculous. Her pull-up 3 remains one of the most lethal shots in sports. She\u2019s manipulating defenders with pace and reading the floor arguably better than ever.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, amid yet another Fever game that somehow became a referendum on \u2014 gestures widely \u2014 everything, Clark recorded 26 points and 11 assists in a win against the Sky.<\/p>\n<p>It was the latest in what\u2019s been an impressive 3 \u00b9\/\u2082 weeks for Clark.<\/p>\n<p>During this eight-game stretch, she\u2019s averaging 26.5 points and 9.3 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep to help the Fever go 6-2.<\/p>\n<p>Clark\u2019s game is so fun, and the Fever are one of the most exciting teams in the league.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever dribbles against the Chicago Sky during the second half at United Center on Saturday, August 8, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And yet, everything else surrounding her and her team is not.<\/p>\n<p>In a lot of ways, Clark\u2019s season personifies her team\u2019s.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The Fever keep feeding people reasons to talk about anything except basketball, with Sophie Cunningham\u2019s remarks about trans athletes being the latest fuel. But the way they\u2019re playing commands the attention of the basketball world.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Injuries<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>From the sideline, Clark watched her team fall five minutes short of the Fever\u2019s first Finals appearance since 2015 after a groin injury prematurely ended her sophomore season.<\/p>\n<p>Clark returned this year healthy and determined.<\/p>\n<p>But Clark and the Fever can\u2019t seem to do anything without it becoming a thing.<\/p>\n<p>Her back hurt.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) fights with Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington (7) after she was fouled during the first half at United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, August 8, 2026.  <span class=\"credit\">IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She was ruled out of the Fever\u2019s May 20 game less than two hours before tipoff, despite not being listed on the team\u2019s availability report.<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/22\/sports\/wnba-dishes-out-warning-to-fever-following-caitlin-clark-injury-drama\/\">issued the Fever a warning<\/a> for failing to accurately update and disclose her status.<\/p>\n<p>Her back has been a recurring issue causing her to miss games or be on a minutes restriction.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Incidents<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Clark hit an early rough patch when her shot was not falling and she was being hunted on defense.<\/p>\n<p>She got into it with her coach, Stephanie White, on the sideline in late May, and it became another headline, another thing.<\/p>\n<p>Then, there was the<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/25\/sports\/wnba-suspends-alyssa-thomas-for-fist-to-caitlin-clarks-throat\/\"> situation with Alyssa Thomas a month later<\/a> when the Mercury star struck Clark in the throat.<\/p>\n<p>No foul was called on the play in real time, but the video went viral.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever, 111-109.  <span class=\"credit\">Grace Smith\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The WNBA reviewed it and retroactively assessed Thomas a flagrant-2 foul and a one-game suspension for what the league deemed reckless contact.<\/p>\n<p>That should\u2019ve been the end of it.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the incident became another referendum on Clark, the Fever, the WNBA, officiating, race, fandom and, somehow, American politics.<\/p>\n<p>Three weeks later, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Clark had <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/16\/sports\/adam-silver-believes-caitlin-clark-has-become-a-political-football-in-wnba\/\">become a \u201cpolitical football,\u201d<\/a> all the while, Silver noted, she just wants to play basketball.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Technicals<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Amid all this drama, Clark\u2019s technical foul count has become its own subplot this season, too, because accumulating eight would mean a suspension.<\/p>\n<p>She got a tech for barking at officials, and another for clapping at the Mercury bench. She received more for various reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Clark\u2019s passion and competitive fire have been painted with a broad brush as overly whiny and complaint-filled.<\/p>\n<p>She was<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/08\/sports\/caitlin-clark-earns-suspension-for-eighth-technical-foul\/\"> assessed an eighth tech in Saturday\u2019s win<\/a> against the Sky for essentially running into an official, meaning she would be suspended for Tuesday\u2019s nationally televised game against the Liberty.<\/p>\n<p>The league, though,<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/08\/sports\/caitlin-clark-earns-suspension-for-eighth-technical-foul\/\"> rescinded it<\/a> quicker than Usain Bolt on a treadmill.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts after she was called for a technical foul by referee Genesis Perrymond #47 during the second half at United Center on Saturday, August 8, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Momentum<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The 20-12 Fever are fourth in the standings.<\/p>\n<p>They have the league\u2019s best offense, anchored by their dynamic backcourt tandem of Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.<\/p>\n<p>Their defense isn\u2019t quite as sturdy but remains respectable, as Indiana has posted the league\u2019s third-best net rating of plus-6.7.<\/p>\n<p>The Fever\u2019s 2026 season has been messy and occasionally ridiculous. The team has found itself in the thick of cultural debates.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to make it about the game is to do the thing only one team does each season \u2014 win a championship.<\/p>\n<p>For all the noise around Clark and the team, that\u2019s probably the thing the Fever would prefer to talk about anyway.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The Fever circus rolls on. Another day, another drama, another headline. But what\u2019s been lost when every basketball possession becomes evidence in a larger argument is that Caitlin Clark has been playing really good basketball. Her passing is ridiculous. Her pull-up 3 remains one of the most lethal shots in sports. She\u2019s manipulating&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-8vhwwfs0c-1786408495619.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1786394149&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}