Caitlin Clark may have helped push the sport of women's basketball to the forefront. Still, it certainly doesn't mean she's infallible. Renowned sports commentator Skip Bayless pointed this out after Clark went AWOL down the stretch as the Fever lost a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter and fell to the Chicago Sky, 88-87.
Although the former NCAA legend still put up an impressive double-double of 17 points and a franchise-record 13 assists, Caitlin was nowhere to be found in the clutch, taking only one shot in the last six minutes of the game. On Monday, Skip criticized Clark for lacking the mental toughness and killer instinct that top players possess.
"Caitlin, I don't know if she has that dog in her. I know she's got talent, distant shooting talent, and a gift for passing the basketball, but I don't know if she has that dog in her because I start to wonder. I know it's extremely early, but I start to wonder when I see what I saw yesterday," Skip said on "Undisputed."
Couldn't close it out
Indiana had Chicago on the ropes, as they led by 15 late in the third and 12 with 6:38 remaining in the game. With the Sky on the verge of losing another match to their burgeoning rivals, rookie forward Angel Reese tallied 10 points and five rebounds down the stretch to rescue the Sky and steal the victory away from the Fever.
"If you have that dog in you, if you are her, you get it home, even away from home. You just figure out how to get that game home," Skip told co-hosts Paul Pierce and Keyshawn Johnson.
"I saw Caitlin Clark do zilch. I saw nothing. She took one shot over the last 6:38 and missed it—it was a three. She had a couple of rebounds but no more assists. Now, assists require somebody cashing in the pass, obviously, but she had an Indiana team record of 13 assists through three quarters, and then in the fourth quarter, she had zero assists," Bayless stressed.
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Letdown of a performance
Skip surmised that he had already seen this script play out before: in the NCAA women's basketball title game between Iowa and South Carolina a few months ago. Clark scored a record 18 points in the first period of that showdown but was eerily quiet the rest of the way. She finished the game with 30 points, but her performance was less impactful in the later stages of the game.
"She had as hot a first quarter—remember, in the championship game, she scored 18 in the first quarter. Then, the rest of the way, she went 5 of 20 and just got quieter and quieter. She shot no free throws the rest of the way in the championship game. It kind of reminded me of the same thing. I thought you were a little better than that," Skip stated.
It's crucial to remember that Caitlin Clark is still in the early stages of her professional career. With just 18 games under her belt in the WNBA, she has already made a significant impact. Despite the pressure she faces in every game, she continues to defy defenses and maintains impressive averages of 16.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Related: "Without Caitlin Clark, no one knows anything about you" - Jason Whitlock slams Angel Reese for wanting more credit for WNBA's growth
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