Mercury Coach Shares Truthful Response To Caitlin Clark's WNBA Influence

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever stunned the WNBA world on Sunday after securing their first win against a team above .500, taking down the Phoenix Mercury on the road. Following the 88-82 loss, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts spoke about the attention toward the game, which was largely produced by the matchup of Clark and Diana Taurasi.

"I think any time you're thrown into different situations, you know, there was a ton of excitement nationally about the game. National television, huge crowd, those are great things for our team to go through together," said Tibbetts via Desert Wave Media on X.

Clark's influence on the league has been evident less than halfway into her rookie season. According to TV logs, Indiana is the most viewed franchise, with multiple games above 2 million viewers.

The Fever versus Mercury game was arguably the most anticipated game of the WNBA season. Tibbetts explained that it was a great environment for both his team and the league despite the loss for the Mercury.

Phoenix will look to bounce back as they compete against the Connecticut Sun in a back-to-back homestand at 10:00 ET on Monday.

Their attendance against the Fever produced over 17,000 fans, featuring one of the largest crowds in franchise history.

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Related: Diana Taurasi Left No Doubt About Her Thoughts On Caitlin Clark After Fever-Mercury