“Painful to Watch”: Fever Coach Christie Slides’ Decision to Bench Caitlin Clark Receives the Wrath of the Fans

The Indiana Fever locked horns with the LA Sparks Friday night. Everyone was waiting for this contest to commence on the court as it involved a showdown between the No.1 draft pick Caitlin Clark and the subsequent No.2 Cameron Brink. Things got intense when in just the fourth minute of the opening quarter these two rookies came face to face and Brink won the battle by stealing the ball from the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. However, with just 3:33 remaining in the quarter, Christie Sides decided to bring Kelsey Mitchell into the game and bench Clark for some time.

Consequently, this didn’t sit well with the fans as the 47-year-old faced backlash on the internet. Many wanted to know the reason behind the substitution and termed the Sides’ decision horrible. One X user wrote, “Why is #caitlinclark on the bench and #erikawheeler bringing the ball up the court? It’s so painful to watch this horrible coaching @indianafever.” 

Another X user who appears to be a Caitlin Clark fan outrightly stated that the team doesn’t stand a chance if Caitlin Clark is not on the court. The fan posted, “Fever doesn’t have a chance with Caitlin Clark on the bench!.”