Slowly, but gradually, Indiana Fever’s game is starting to translate into positive results. This was evident in their previous encounter when they took down heavyweights like the 2023 WNBA finalists the New York Liberty. While the team veteran Erica Wheeler feels it has a lot to do with the arrival of Caitlin Clark, it should be noted that head coach Christie Sides’ contributions have also played a key part.

The rookie recently cleared a lot of queries posed by the reporters in Indiana’s Media Availability on July 9. One of them was the Fever adapting to finish the penultimate quarter strongly.“I think there’s definitely been some games where we’ve gotten down and gotten some deficits but also been able to dig out of them,” Clark revealed.

In Indiana’s road fixture against the Aces on July 3, the Fever were giving the hosts a run for their money in the first 3 quarters. Anyhow, it was in the fourth one that they lost the plot when Las Vegas went on a 23-10 run. But, the situation was different against Breanna Stewart and Co. The final quarter in this home clash saw Indiana scoring 12 more points than their opponents. Thus, the Fever managed to overcome a 7-point deficit and win the game 83-78.

The Indiana rookie feels that inculcating some mental sharpness into their strategies has helped them in the closing moments of the game. She added, “At times we have it and we have gotten a lot better. Still, at times, there have been instances we’re not as great. I think we would just continue to grow in that way. But we have done some really good things. We have gotten better. When a team goes on a run, we’ve been able to respond a lot better than maybe we had at the beginning of the year.” 

USA Today via Reuters

Earlier, 9-year veteran Erica Wheeler also had some interesting comments directed towards the rookie.

Erica Wheeler’s “unique” analysis of Caitlin Clark

The experienced No.17 points out one major difference in how opponents approach Clark with respect to her. The 33-year-old commented, “Nobody plays me how they play her. It’s a unique situation because literally, they trap her at halfcourt. I’ve never had that.”

This is with reference to Caitlin Clark’s ability to connect deep threes. The NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer is currently holding the fourth position overall in threes made with a tally of 60. In addition to this, her playmaking abilities are also a threat to other teams. A total of 162 assists places her second at the moment.

The arrival of Caitlin Clark surely has turned some tides in Indiana’s favor. A significant improvement in comparison to their dismal campaign last time around is further proof of that. Fans will hope they are able to cap it off on a high.