Basketball <\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS \u2014<\/strong> By nature, rivalries make everything feel bigger.<\/p>\n Wins feel enormous. Losses feel crushing. Big performances by players elevate them to cult hero status.<\/p>\n And hard fouls? Well, those certainly elicit a lot more emotion.<\/p>\n Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are no strangers to any of that, due to a rivalry dating back to their college years<\/a>, and on Saturday they got even more familiar: During the third quarter after Saturday\u2019s season opener that was quickly turning into a blowout Fever win, Clark prevented Reese from finishing<\/a> an open layup with a hard foul.<\/p>\n And just like that, a foul that is seen on a regular basis in basketball became something much bigger because of their preexisting rivalry.<\/p>\n Still, despite how routine of a hard foul that appeared to be, it\u2019s also fair to say the players felt the weight of their previous clashes a bit in the moment. <\/strong>Reese immediately sprung up from the floor in pursuit of Clark, who dismissively turned her back to the fracas. Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped between the pair to de-escalate things as the two teams were guided to their respective benches.<\/p>\n After review, officials upgraded Clark\u2019s foul to a flagrant one while also giving technicals to Boston and Reese, for the former for stopping two faces of the league from a potential skirmish and suspension, an action she will receive a $200 fine for<\/a>. <\/p>\n Between the third and fourth quarters, Clark spoke to sideline reporter Holly Rowe of ESPN and downplayed the matter.<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark to Holly Rowe on the flagrant 1 on Angel Reese:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a good take foul. Either Angel gets wide open 2 points. Or, you know, we send them to the free throw line. Nothing malicious about it. Just a good take foul. Every basketball player knows that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) May 17, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Clark went even further during her postgame presser as she remained adamant that she did nothing more than make <\/strong>a basketball play. <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s not make it anything that it\u2019s not,\u201d Clark said. \u201cIt was just a good play on the basketball. I\u2019m not sure what the refs saw to upgrade it and that\u2019s up to their discretion…We watch a lot of basketball. It\u2019s a take foul to put them at the free throw line. We\u2019re not going to give up two points.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched a lot of basketball in my life. That\u2019s exactly what it was. I wasn\u2019t trying to do anything malicious. That\u2019s not the type of player that I am. This wasn\u2019t anything like that. I went for the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Once emotions cooled for Reese, she, too, downplayed matters.<\/p>\n This, however, will probably do very little to tamp down the discussions nationally.<\/p>\n Saturday was not the first time the two were involved in a basketball play that got much bigger. Last season, Reese hit Clark in the head while going for a block<\/a>, another play that is not uncommon in basketball, but blew up into something larger because of who was involved.<\/p>\n While their rivalry started under different circumstances, more recently, it\u2019s been defined by basketball plays being overanalyzed. In reality, there isn\u2019t much other substance to the beef at this point between Clark and Reese.<\/p>\n When it comes to the actual on-court product, their two teams are on completely different trajectories. <\/strong>On Saturday, the Fever tied their second-largest margin of victory in franchise history with a 35-point win. That comes after the final meeting between the two teams last season was a blowout as well.<\/p>\n Historically, there is no rivalry with the Fever and Sky. And personal rivalry or no, it hasn\u2019t been competitive since their new respective stars entered the league, either, as Indiana is now 4-1 against Chicago since Clark and Reese entered the league. Indiana is talking about competing for a title<\/a> while the Sky lost 12 of their final 14 games last year before their blowout defeat to open this season.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s any sort of rivalry here, it\u2019s between the players, or perhaps more accurately, between their supporters.<\/p>\n The first sparks started when LSU<\/a>, led by Reese, was putting the final touches on a national title over Iowa and Clark in 2023. Reese let it fly with the taunts<\/a>, pointing to her finger as a symbol of the championship ring to come.<\/p>\n Clark took the trash talk in stride, got her revenge the next season in the Elite Eight rematch and both moved to the WNBA, ushering in a new era of fans and eyes to the league. Even as Clark and the Sky had plenty of rivalry-creating moments<\/a> last year, it never went beyond the court.<\/p>\n Reese spoke about how much fans love to talk about the two, acknowledging that people tune in to watch them<\/a>. The pair teamed up in the All-Star game, and Reese even expressed excitement about playing together (via Josh Weinfuss\/ESPN<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to it,\u201d Reese said. \u201cEverybody can wear their \u2018Get Along\u2019 shirts together for one day, at least. So I know a lot of people are going to come and watch us, to see all of us, but there\u2019s a lot of talent within both rosters of the teams, so they\u2019re in for a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Prior to Saturday\u2019s game, Clark spoke about the rivalry between the two sides, but focused on how good it is for the fans and basketball.<\/p>\n\n
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