USA Today via Reuters

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese went against each other for the third time this season to deliver yet another thriller, but the blunt ending of the game left many frustrated. Ultimately, the blame fell on the Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides, who is being called out for not putting the ball on Clark’s hand in the final few seconds of the game. Sides, nevertheless, held her fort. Did she make the right coaching play?

Caitlin Clark was dropping dimes all over the court today. Her ability to find the open man was, quite frankly, mind-blowing, as she finished the game with 13 assists. So, with 0.2 seconds left on the clock, Coach Sides went on to run a play with Clark as the in-bounder. Notably, the Indiana unit was down 1 point, 87-88.

Considering the shooting ability of Clark, fans were expecting her to take the last shot. However, she went on to inbound the play, which turned out to be unsuccessful. The Fever lost by one point, but coach Sides said after the game, “I felt she(Clark) gave us the best opportunity to find the open person and get the open shot.” defending her decision. But was it right?

Christie Sides on why Caitlin Clark was inbounding the ball with 0.2 seconds left instead of on the receiving end:

“I felt she gave us the best opportunity to find the open person and get the open shot.”

— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 23, 2024

Although Clark had 13 assists today, she also had 5 turnovers, which the Fever could have made use of. Most of them were passes in a fast break. However, the blame should not fall on Clark for the turnovers. It should be on her teammates.

Why can we consider Coach Sides’ final play with Clark as a wrong move?

There is no doubt that Clark is an efficient playmaker. However, her passes are flashy and sometimes a bit too advanced for her teammates. Clark had 5 turnovers today, and it was mostly because of her teammates who did not catch her passes properly. What’s to be noted here is that Clark has already reached 100 turnovers this season, most of which are due to failed catches.

Clark is averaging 5.5 turnovers in the 18 games she has played this season. The Indiana Fever is dominant when it comes to fast breaks. Most of their points are from it. But when Clark’s passes become too flashy for her teammates, it results in a turnover. As Clark’s teammates are inefficient in catching passes, wouldn’t it be a better choice to let her take the last shot?

Fans believe that would have been the right choice. Let’s also not forget that Clark is the best shooter in the team, and arguably in the league as well. But Christie Sides is not to be blamed here. As a coach, she has every right to experiment with her players. However, fans did not like the fact that she did not take the blame for the final play.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video: