INDIANA Fever star Caitlin Clark sent a good luck message to the Indiana Pacers ahead of Game 7 against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The WNBA sensation took on the New York Liberty on Saturday, arriving in the Big Apple just one day before the Knicks host the Pacers in a win-or-home showdown at Madison Square Garden.
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Clark, 22, gave a shoutout to the Pacers while speaking to reporters before their matchup with Liberty.
The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter said she was rooting for her fellow Indy stars in the series’ second-round decider.
“I hope they beat the Knicks,” the former Iowa standout said before what would be her first game played in New York City.
“Sorry if you’re New York Knicks fans.”
READ MORE ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK
Clark appeared in a few Pacers games in the 2024 NBA Playoffs after the Fever selected her No. 1 overall in April’s WNBA Draft.
She introduced herself to Indiana fans during the team’s Game 3 postseason first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 6-foot-2 guard drove onto the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a yellow Pacers race car to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Before the Liberty matchup, Clark said Indy’s NBA playoff games were some of the few off-court activities she had time to enjoy since the start of her WNBA debut season.
“I’m about to move into my apartment,” she added.
“So I’m getting out of the hotels, this is fun.”
The Fever lost the first two games of the 2024 season badly.
They fell 92-71 in the curtain-raiser against the Connecticut Sun, with Clark committing 10 turnovers while recording 20 points, three assists and two steals.
A historic 102-66 rout at the hands of Liberty followed in the home debut of the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader Fever.
No other WNBA team has been outscored by 57 points in the first two games of the season, so ESPN.
Still, Clarkmania is far from over.
About 2.13 million people tuned in to ESPN 2 for the Fever-Sun matchup, the largest TV audience for a WNBA game since 2001.
It surpassed the viewing figures for the NHL playoff contest between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, which averaged 1.99 million viewers while airing at a similar time on ESPN.
Additionally, Indiana played each of its first two games in front of sold-out crowds.
Before facing Liberty again on Saturday, Clark assured fans that the young Fever team would bounce back from a difficult start to the season.
“I think we would love to have two better performances, but at the same time, I think it’s a great learning opportunity for us,” she said.
“You have to remember that these teams are two of the best teams in the league.
I don’t think that’s an excuse for the way we played. But we are a young group. There needs to be a little grace given to all of us.
“And I think the more we play together, our chemistry will increase.”
The Fever performed much better against the Liberty in a packed Barclays Arena, although they still lost 91-80 and fell to 0-3 on the season.
Clark finished the game with 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists, shooting 52.9% from the field and shooting 4 of 10 (40%) from beyond the arc.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
