The reffing is really what is killing my interest most. I get the preceding posts that the men's game and women's game are just different, and I feel like I mostly have that in perspective. But when the rules are not evenly, consistently, and correctly applied, it makes it really hard to enjoy watching.
I agree with almost all of this. The thing that made me chuckle was CC not giving help on defense…because she rarely gives help on defense. Has anyone ever seen Caitlin step in and take a charge? I’m not sure I ever have.
Guess it's a good thing that I didn't know they played last night.
Serious question, I get W teams don't have shot erasers outside of Griner, so why don't they take a page out of Iowa's playbook and play help defense like McCollum teaches?
The defense didn't give Clark enough space. Defenders were attached to her just as they were in year one. Hence, all the grabbing and fouling. Defenders were on her like she just stole their last McNugget.
Couple that with what we know about Caitlin's offensive capability, and there's your answer, for those wondering about her defensive effort (and how she let it get this way)...........
Not sure if that was directed my way, but I am certainly not turning on her. My interest in seeing her play is simply being dampened by a few years of building frustration with the refs.Well now.......I see even several Iowa fans are starting to turn on Caitlin Clark. Let's see how this plays out.
So last year the argument was they called not enough fouls. Now to many fouls? Look, they’re calling the game much tighter now. At some point CC also needs to adjust defensively and figure some things out. She stands way to straight up after she’s beaten almost immediately and then she leans in and fouls. I’d rather she give up a few layups to stay in the game. The refs aren’t out to get her. They’re just not.
I'm not talking about her defense, generally, and no, they are not calling enough fouls. Caitlin should be drawing 50+ fouls a game the way she is being guarded. My observation is that they are calling more freedom of movement fouls for players other than her. As far as last night in particular, a couple of those calls against her were BS, regardless of how crappy some would say she was otherwise playing defense.
It was a totally justified tantrum.
The officiating crew was horses--t. I mean, 53 personals called. Disrupted the flow of the game after what I felt was a pretty damn good first quarter by both squads. I don't know what the hell happened after the first quarter, but all of the whistles from there on out absolutely destroyed any semblance of organized basketball. There were only eight fouls called in the first quarter, and then went to s--t after that.
Both were big outbursts but yes, that one did more resemble a tantrum as that would have been a very marginal and-one.
Problem is this idea of a happy medium doesn't exist, and it sure as f***ing sh** will not exist in the WNBA (at least for the next 8 years or so, until a lot of the veteran players brainwashed by the style of play in this league get old and phase out of the game).
I'd buy your statement, EXCEPT she's still getting grabbed and wrapped up coming off all most EVERY screen. SO, what happens to the "calling it tighter" when she has the ball?
At Iowa she could afford to not care. She was the fan and media darling and just about nothing was going to change that.
That game last night reminded me of year one the way the defenders were chasing her everywhere on the court with all the grabs and "physicality". They once again acted like she stole all of their boyfriends or something.
Boyfriends?
It truly is not as machiavellian as some are making it out to be................
So they’re calling 53 fouls in a game but just not for CC? Do you guys realize how ridiculous this all sounds? She shot 12 free throws last night. And don’t tell me she should shoot 20. We’re all huge CC fans here but the objectivity is totally gone from some of you. Everything is everyone else’s fault.
Sorry, but I don't agree. I haven't commented on last nights game specifically, because I didn't see the game, so my comment was in general of the last several games. Countless times she'll go off a screen at the top of the key, and most of the time the defender will have an arm reached around the screener wrapping her arm and pulling on her. I'm sorry if you don't agree, but that's a foul 100% of the time, (and is a 180 from their "freedom of movement" mantra), and they sure aren't calling many of those specific fouls. In truth I think most of the league is operating under the Izzo theory that if you body up and foul most of the time, they can't call them all, and its sure worked for him, wouldn't you say?
