You were sorely mistaken if you thought the WNBA would ease into the season. We had historic opening-day performances, sold-out crowds and another Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese duel.
Here are the key takeaways from the Friday and Saturday games:
Can we just play basketball?
Last season, every Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever contest was intense due to the popularity of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two teams were fighting for playoff positioning, and both players were part of an impressive rookie draft class.
Year 2 started with the Midwest rivals facing each other, and with the Fever adding stars such as DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, they dominated the Sky 93-58 behind a triple-double from Clark. The victory was impressive, but an interaction between Clark and Reese caused a frenzy.
In the third quarter, Reese went to the basket and Clark fouled her hard as she fell to the floor. Clark stared Reese down, and when Reese got up, words were exchanged and things got heated.
When everything cooled down, the referees reviewed the play and assessed Clark with a flagrant foul and Reese and Aliyah Boston with technicals. A pool reporter asked officials about the incident after the game; the referees explained why they called Clark’s foul a flagrant and gave Boston and…
