Indianapolis – By nature, rivalries make everything feel bigger.
The victories feel huge. Losses feel overwhelming. The great performances of the players raise them to the state of cult of cult.
And hard offenses? Well, that certainly causes much more emotion.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are not oblivious to any of that, due to a rivalry that dates back to his university years, and on Saturday they became even more familiar: during the third quarter after the opening of the Saturday season that was quickly becoming a victory of explosive fever, Clark prevented Reese from finishing an open capture with a hard foul.
And so, a foul that is seen in a regular base in basketball became something much larger due to its pre -existing rivalry.
Even so, despite the routine of a hard foul that seemed to be, it is also fair to say that the players felt a bit the weight of their previous clashes at the time. Reese immediately arose from the floor in search of Clark, who turned her back on the failures. The Aliyah Boston fever center brought between the couple to unwishly things, since the two teams were guided to their respect banks.
After the review, the officials updated the lack of Clark to a flagrant and at the same time gave Boston and Reese technicians, for the first to stop two faces of the League of a possible skirt and suspension, an action for which he will receive a fine of $ 200.
Among the third and fourth quarter, Clark spoke with the reporter of the Holly Rowe line of ESPN and minimized the matter.
Caitlin Clark A Holly Rowe in Flagrant 1 in Angel Reese:
“It’s just a good shot. Or the angel opens 2 points. Or, you know, we send them to the free throw line. Nothing malicious. Just a good missing. Every basketball player knows it.”
– Meghan L. Hall (@itsmeghanlhall) May 17, 2025
Clark gets used to lasting his poster after the game, since he remained firm that he did nothing more to do A basketball play.
“Let’s do nothing other than,” said Clark. “It was a good play in basketball. I am not sure what the referees saw to improve it and that depends on their discretion … we see a lot of basketball. It is a foul to put them in the free throw line. We are not going to place two points.
“I have seen a lot of basketball in my life. That’s exactly what I was. I was writing to do something malicious. That is not the type of player I am. This was something like that. I went through the ball.”
Once the emotions cooled to Reese, she also minimized the issues.
This, however, will probably do very little to reduce discussions nationwide.
Saturday was not the first time that the two participated in a basketball play that became much bigger. Last season, Reese hit Clark on the head while looking for a block, another play that is not uncommon in basketball, but exploded in something bigger because or who was involved.
While its rivalry began in different circumstances, more recently, it has been defined by excess basketball plays. Actually, there is not much other substance in the flesh at this point between Clark and Reese.
When it comes to the real product on the court, its two teams are on completely different trajectories. On Saturday, fever tied its second largest margin in the history of the franchise with a 35 -point victory. That occurs after the final meeting between the two teams last season was also a burst.
Historical, there is no rivalry with fever and sky. And personal rivalry or not, has a competitive bone since the new respective stars entered the League, since Indiana now has 4-1 against Chicago when Clark and Reese entered the League. Indiana is talking about competing for a title, while the Sky lost 12 of its last 14 games last year before its defeat to open this season.
If there is any kind of rivalry here, it is among the players, or perhaps with greater precision, among their followers.
The first sparks began when LSU, directed by Reese, was giving the final touches to a national title about Iowa and Clark in 2023. Reese let him fly with the teasing, pointing to his finger as a symbol of the championship ring to come.
Clark took the garbage with Stride, avenged next season in the Elite Eight rematch and both moved to the WNBA, marking the beginning of a new era of fans and eyes to the league. Just when Clark and heaven had many moments of creation of rivalry last year, it never went beyond the court.
Reese talked about how much they love to talk about the two, recognizing that people tune in to see them. The couple joined in the stars game, and Reese even expressed their expression about playing together (through Josh Weinfuss/ESPN).
“I’m looking forward to arriving,” Reese said. “Everyone can wear their” wear “shirts together for a day, at least. So I know that many people will come to see us, but there is a lot of talent within the team lists, so they are in one place.”
Before Saturday’s game, Clark talked about the rivalry between the two parties, but focused on how good fans and basketball.
“The rivalry is excellent for sport,” Clark said. “As I understand. I grew up love rivalries. I grew up in Iowa. Iowiowa state, that is like a professional confrontation in the state of Iowa. I understand that. Or if it was my secondary school, the forcanos of valleys, the valleys hate the teans, the teans, the Rivate Theans, Rivate Tea them.
It is true that thought, “wearing” shirts are probable at this point. Both can minimize it, but at the time, it was clear that there was a little more between the two players, whether it is the push in the end Clark what (probably) led to the call to be updated, or Reese’s reaction.
At the same time, both players have also demonstrated the ability to quickly pass what happens on the court, some fan bases have not expressed a desire or will to do.
The time of Saturday solidified that Clark and Reese Wille remain linked to each other. When the two parts are again in Chicago in three weeks, the approach will be in both of them, regardless of where their teams are in the classification, and regardless of what the couple says from time to time.
But what also stressed on Saturday is that for now, this rivalry is defined more by the reaction of everyone else to what is happening on the floor, instead of any direct animosity.
