00:00The league right now missing their top star in Kaitlin Clark.
00:04The league, though, not missing Clark as much as the Indiana Fever are.
00:08The Indiana Fever not having Clark for at least a four-game window
00:14came at what felt like the perfect time.
00:18At the Mystics, home against the Sun, home against the Mystics, and at the Sky.
00:22Again, you could easily argue that those three teams are three of the four worst teams in the league
00:28with the Valkyries rounding out that bottom four.
00:31It's not a slight to those teams.
00:32Somebody's got to occupy the bottom slots.
00:35And if you're the Fever and you're going to be missing their best player,
00:38that's going to be the best run for you to possibly have it on.
00:41All of a sudden now, it actually feels like maybe you should have hoped
00:45that Kaitlin Clark missed four games where you had no chance to win even with her in the lineup
00:50because apparently the team has no chance to win if she's not in the lineup.
00:55A loss at Washington, here's the deal.
00:57The Mystics have been solid, actually, to start this season.
01:00Better than many projected, even probably myself, who played them to get 15 wins.
01:05Because I only played them to get 15 wins.
01:07This team looks like they could maybe get into the 20-win range, possibly.
01:12Losing at home to the Connecticut Sun is unforgivable.
01:18And look, the double-digit number that the books put around the Fever against the Sun
01:23was certainly too high.
01:24It suggests that if Clark was in the lineup, the Fever would have been laying...
01:2818, 19.
01:29A crazy number.
01:30Right, yeah.
01:30And a number that I don't think anybody, again, would have been really willing to lay.
01:34Nevertheless, though, the Sun grabbed their first win of the season.
01:40The Sun, for the first time or for the second time this year, stayed within single digits.
01:46And again, the first time was at home against the Mystics.
01:50The loss, J.Y., a nightmare for the Fever.
01:55But is there a lot of panic since we, of course, expect Clark back at some point?
02:03What Caitlin Clark's injury has shown me, and I'm going to...
02:07She may not be the best player in the world.
02:10You know, I think we both agree it's Asia Wilson.
02:12She's definitely the most important.
02:15She may be more important in Asia.
02:17Because I looked at Kelsey Mitchell, right?
02:21Kelsey Mitchell that Tom talked about, I think, last week before, was fantastic the second half of the year.
02:27But also, Kelsey Mitchell has averaged 17.5 points per game or higher since 2020.
02:32So, she was doing it for four years without Caitlin Clark.
02:38And this girl goes out and in two games has gone eight for 31 from the floor.
02:47I literally took her points flop over 20.5 in both games saying, Washington.
02:53All right.
02:53I love Washington.
02:54Young team.
02:55Kiki Araf.
02:55And obviously, the pride of New Rochelle, Sonya Citroen, not too far from where K-Dub grew up.
03:02I think, you know, New Rochelle kind of.
03:05I just went to Iona.
03:07Okay.
03:08Well, it's close to where I grew up.
03:10Closer to Tom.
03:11But you get my point.
03:13Shout out New York City, Tri-City area, whatever.
03:15What happened against Connecticut, a team that literally could be the worst team.
03:22Well, maybe not.
03:23My Connecticut son.
03:24Your Connecticut son.
03:25I think it's Chicago Sky, honestly.
03:27That's a story for a minute.
03:28I just looked at them and said, you know what, Kevin?
03:32They dropped their win total from 30.5 to 28.5 when Caitlin Clark got hurt.
03:38I'm like, schedule lines up.
03:41Take the over.
03:42She'll be back maybe by the Liberty game.
03:43Maybe they lose the Liberty game, and they have, I think, the Valkyries two games after that.
03:47Then you bring her back.
03:48Win five out of seven.
03:50Here we go.
03:51Now they drop it to 27.5, and I'm looking at this team, and I'm saying, all right, where is their win?
04:00Can they beat D.C.?
04:01Well, I mean, they already lost to them.
04:04Can they win at Chicago?
04:05Okay, probably.
04:06Atlanta?
04:06No.
04:07New York?
04:07No.
04:08Connecticut?
04:08And then their West Coast trip is Golden State, Las Vegas, Seattle.
04:13So even when they get Caitlin Clark back, they're going right to the fire and playing against Las Vegas and Seattle back-to-back.
04:20Not back-to-back days, but, you know, one day in between.
04:25They're in trouble, Tom, and I don't know where they're going to get it because Natasha Howard's been inconsistent.
04:31DeJuanne Bonner hasn't been good.
04:32Kelsey Mitchell should be scoring 20 points a game.
04:34Can't do it.
04:35And they're supposed to have a better coach in Stephanie White, and they're 2-4 off a real bad loss.
04:42You know, here's what it comes down to, and, you know, I don't want to phrase it of, like, you have to kind of tread water because I think that kind of puts in, like, too much of a negative light.
04:52But I think that's really what it is.
04:53Like, you have to tread water between DeJuanne Bonner, Aaliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell.
04:58Like, they have to all rise together at the same time, right?
05:02And it can't just be like, oh, a 20-point performance and 11-point.
05:05They all have to be scoring in that upper teams range to not only make up the lack of offense, but also just to provide a diversified threat on offense across the board.
05:16And that's what it comes down to.
05:18It can't just be one player saying, oh, Kelsey Mitchell was great, and I was on her on the opening game, which she didn't hit.
05:25Not mad about that.
05:26But it can't just be her, oh, you have to go score a 25 a game.
05:28It has to be everyone scoring at that 20 range in order to give them a shot because, as you said, she may not be, Caitlin Clark, that is, may not be the best player in the league or in the world.
05:36But what she is systematically is very, very important for Indiana, providing the space and opportunities.
05:43Because, you know, we've talked about it coming into the season, that Caitlin Clark has the gravity that Steph Curry has, just from a defensive assignment standpoint.
05:51That gravity opens things up for other players.
05:53So it was a rough two games.
05:58And, again, it's got to be a team effort from Boston, Mitchell, and Dawna Bonner coming off the bench.
