Indiana Fever loss offers Caitlin Clark a chance to grow as a leader

INDIANAPOLIS — The game was going on, but Caitlin Clark chose not to be a part of it.

The Indiana Fever superstar wasn’t watching from the sideline Friday against the Minnesota Lynx; she wasn’t stuck in foul trouble or nursing an injury. She was in the middle of the action, lying on the court, and had simply given up. It was as if Clark was in a video game and the game player’s controller died. But this wasn’t virtual. This was the real thing.

This was a matchup — and a potential first-round playoff preview — between a pair of MVP candidates and their teams. Yet Clark’s composure had evaporated. After Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier blocked Clark’s shot and sent her to the floor, Clark didn’t get back up. She didn’t even try. Instead, she stared up at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse rafters for a couple of seconds while the Lynx played five-on-four on the other end, resulting in a midrange jumper by Courtney Williams that extended Minnesota’s lead to 10 points.

Clark thought she’d been fouled. A…