A budding rivalry between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever added another chapter this week.
The WNBA schedule makers put the Fever and Mercury in an interesting back-to-back scenario, and tempers flared in game one. Caitlin Clark took exception to a foul by former teammate DeWanna Bonner, and both were assessed technical fouls. The situation got even worse, leading Clark to bash the officiating crew postgame.
A whopping six technical fouls were assessed in the third as the Fever pulled away with a 30-11 quarter, including the Fever's Misha Hines-Allen being tossed from the game after picking up two. The stage was set for chaos in game two, and Alyssa Thomas made sure it happened.
The league finally stepped in after a bizzare missed called on Alyssa Thomas
Ever since DeWanna Bonner's strange exit from the Fever last season, she has held a grudge against the organization, including Clark. After joining her wife, Alyssa Thomas, in Phoenix, the hate between the two squads has escalated, and Thomas did something you rarely see in a basketball game. In the second Fever-Mercury matchup in three days, tensions were extremely high.
With just under seven minutes left in the second quarter, Clark was on the ground, and Thomas put her fist into Clark's throat. An easy call for the officials, right? Apparently not, as nothing was called, and Thomas was allowed to remain in the game. The incident is another clear case of how poor the officiating is in the WNBA, and another example of how the league failed to protect one of its biggest stars.
No one is advocating for special treatment, but such an obvious call can't be overlooked by the officials, and the league had to step in and clean up the mess. A day after the incident, the league gave Thomas a flagrant 2 and a one-game suspension. Better late than never, but it never should have reached this point in the first place.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has to address the officiating problem
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White was very quick to defend her star guard, calling the no-call "egregious." White followed that up by claiming the officials knew about Monday's game with six technicals, and "that (expletive) still happens." The incident was amplified because it involved Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas, two star players, but this isn't the first time the officials have been put under a microscope.
Another layer to the story is that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has not made a statement about the incident, adding to the tension she has had with multiple players in the past. Minnesota star guard Napheesa Collier had a scathing tirade against Engelbert and the officials after she suffered an injury during last year's playoffs, and, in no surprise, it was another incident of a no-call on Alyssa Thomas.
The failure to address the officiating issue is mind-boggling, and more players and coaches will continue to speak up if it is not resolved. Let's be clear: we are not calling for anyone to lose their job, but something has to be done to protect the players. Colin Cowherd said it best when he described WNBA officials calling games like "UFC matches," and that can't continue.
It's well past time for Engelbert to at least address the issue, and the problem won't get any better until she does.
Add us as a preferred source on Google