Chennedy Carter SHAKEN UP After Hard Fall, Slow To Get Up | Chicago Sky vs Indiana Fever | WNBA.

Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky rivalry is gift that will keep on giving for WNBA

CHICAGO — WNBA Finals aside, this was the league’s biggest game since, well, ever.

No disrespect to other exceptional games there’ve been over the years. But the Indiana Fever’s first visit to the Chicago Sky since Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso were drafted gave a glimpse of the league’s future, and it is tremendous.

It was a heck of a game, first of all, the Sky winning 88-87 after the Fever missed a potential game-winners with two seconds left. Reese had her best performance as a pro with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Cardoso showed what a problem she’s going to be once she gets her timing down, disrupting the Fever’s offense time and again, including a redirection of a Clark pass that led to a Reese layup that put the Sky on top for good.

And Clark? Well, we already knew all she does is set records and she did it again Sunday. Her 13 assists, to go with 17 points, was a single-game Fever record.

But the best part of the day was the atmosphere of this game. It was electric, the kind of energy this city hasn’t seen for a professional basketball game since the Jordan years. Wintrust Arena was sold out, and there were lines snaking around the building well before the doors opened. There were celebs sitting courtside. Fans were into it from the opening tip, their cheers downright deafening over the last two minutes.

The game was nationally televised, too, on ESPN. Which likely means more blockbuster ratings in a year that’s already seen a lot of them.

“It’s good for the game. Good for women’s basketball but also good for women’s sports,” Reese said afterward. “Everybody’s watching right now. I think it’s just one of the most important times, right, and we just continue to keep putting on – I think both teams tonight did an amazing job of putting on a show. It was fun.”

Anyone who says differently is being a contrarian. Or a Neanderthal.

The WNBA has always had talented players. Maybe not the depth of it that there is now, but talent nonetheless. There have been some captivating Finals, too. Think the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty last year. The Houston Comets and the Liberty back in the day. Heck, Diana Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury and … everyone.

What the league has lacked are the fierce regular-season rivalries. Not the personal animosity and cat fighting that some ignorant and ill-intentioned people are trying to stoke. But heated battles that deliver every time the teams meet, with the biggest stars bringing out the best in one another.

Caitlin Clark reacts after scoring against the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Those rivalries drive sports, fueling interest from the diehard and casual fans alike. We get invested in these games, regardless of what’s on the line. The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers could both be at the bottom of the NFC North and it’ll still be a game worth watching because of the teams’ history and proximity. Same for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

The NBA is what it is today in large part because of the Magic and Bird’s rivalry, which began in college and carried over to their professional careers.

This is what the WNBA now has in the Sky and Fever.

Reese and Cardoso and Clark and Aliyah Boston are the cornerstones of their franchises. They already have an established history; Clark beat Boston and Cardoso in the Final Four two years ago before losing to Reese and LSU in the NCAA title game, then Clark beat Reese in this year’s Elite Eight before losing to Cardoso and South Carolina in the championship game.

Every one of those games was wildly entertaining and even more compelling.

Now they’re in the WNBA, split between teams that are less than three hours apart. Given the spiciness of their first three games, their meetings are going to continue to be must-see TV for as long as they’re playing. Which, given how young all four of them are, is going to be a while.

“I said this a couple of weeks ago, I think they did a really great job (in college) showing how great the game is on the women’s side. Individually, they’re all great players,” the Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell said.

“I’ve been on the side where we’re slowly making progress and then these guys come and they kind of put us way up on the map. It’s only up from here,” said Mitchell, who is in her seventh season.

There are plenty of other good stories in the W right now. A’ja Wilson is the best player on the planet and she and the Las Vegas Aces are trying to win three WNBA titles in a row. The New York Liberty has built a super team, with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. Alyssa Thomas is putting together another MVP-worthy season despite two bum shoulders.

But a rivalry like the Fever and Sky’s is the gateway drug. People who get caught up in it will eventually want to know what the rest of the league is all about, to see if all games are this enjoyable.

“It’s great to see that everyone really has eyes up on us. It’s really, really good to see,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “They’re enthused about women’s basketball. Not just this game, but they’re enthused about women’s basketball, and that’s a big positive.”

There’s no question Clark and Boston and Reese and Cardoso are going to be great for their respective teams. The rivalry between them is going to be just as good for the WNBA.

CONFUSED Refs Don't Know What's Going On After Angel Reese Fouled! Chicago Sky vs Indiana Fever WNBA.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark blasted for 'flop' complaint against Chicago Sky

Many fans were unimpressed by Caitlin Clark trying to claim that the Chicago Sky flopped after she committed a third-quarter offensive foul, with TV commentators also disagreeing

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark mimed a flopping motion to referees after committing an offensive foul with 8:21 on the clock in the third quarter of Sunday's one-point loss against the Chicago Sky. But ESPN's TV commentary team immediately called it a "clear" violation and joked that she should instead use her arms as an air-circulating fan in an overheating arena.

Viewers online also felt Clark made a misstep by accusing the Sky of flopping, particularly as it's something she's been called out for in the past.

"Maybe it’s just me, but, if I’m Clark, im not doing the flop signal arms," wrote one fan. "No reason to fan those flames. Take your whistle and get back on defense."

Another added: "No Caitlin Clark did NOT try and call out a flop the way she been flying all over the court all season.........."

Clark isn't shy toward referees, picking up a series of technical fouls earlier this campaign for jawing at officials and getting into several back-and-forths during the last NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, the first-year pro didn't pick up any fouls in the first half but briefly found herself in a sticky situation when she was whistled for three personals in a short period of time in the second half.

Caitlin Clark set a career-high in assists against the Chicago Sky on Sunday. ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Clark continued to play a more efficient floor game than she did last month, shooting 5-of-11 from the field to keep her season percentage trending in a positive direction.

But after the Fever built a double-digit advantage early in the fourth quarter, Chicago fought back to tie the game inside the final three minutes behind Angel Reese's ferocious offensive rebounding and inside scoring.

The Sky then took the lead as Reese and Chennedy Carter made clutch shots down the stretch. Despite missing several late free-throws, they held on to defeat Clark and Co., 88-87.

Clark finished with 17 points, 13 assists, six rebounds and four steals, playing every single minute of the game. Reese countered with a 25-point, 16-rebound effort that took her double-double streak to a rookie record eight consecutive outings.

"I'm a dawg, you can't teach that," Reese told ESPN on the court in a postgame interview. "I'm gonna go out and do whatever it takes to win every single night.