INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark are the discuss of Indianapolis, and that extends to the NBA staff they share a zone with.
The Indiana Pacers additionally name Gainbridge Fieldhouse residence. Each groups confirmed great development in 2024 – the Pacers reached the Jap Convention Finals for the primary time in a decade whereas the Fever earned a playoff spot – someplace they have not been since 2016. Basketball is on the rise in Circle Metropolis.
The 2 teams assist one another. Many Fever gamers attended the Pacers’ playoff video games within the spring, and a number of other Pacers gamers have been on the sphere for motion towards fever within the fall. Clark was on his Rookie of the Yr run with Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, Rick Carlisle and Myles Turner watching.
Final week, Clark and the fever have been eradicated from the playoffs. They fell 0-2 to the Connecticut Solar and Sport 2 got here all the way down to the wire. Their season ended prior to they anticipated.
Now it’s time for the Pacers to take heart stage. At Monday’s Blue and Gold Media Day, a number of the staff shared their ideas on the season and Fever’s success.
“What Fever did this yr, it was unbelievable. As somebody who has been going to Fever video games for 10 years now, the surroundings that was there, the brand new life that was there, was unbelievable.” , Turner stated. “And one thing that can solely proceed to develop. For a staff that wasn’t even in playoff competition, to go to the primary spherical and have that have with three younger gamers, it was enjoyable to look at.”
The Fever went 20-20 – they received 30 video games within the earlier 4 seasons mixed. They’re on a large upward trajectory and have laid the muse for an extended interval of sustained success.
Haliburton has appeared in about half of the Fever’s residence video games this season. He usually noticed Clark and firm up shut. “I went there quite a bit as a result of I like hoops. Seeing the explosion of girls’s basketball quite a bit…it was actually cool to see. I went to as many video games as I might,” defined Haliburton. He identified that, via Connor McCaffery, a former Pacers assistant who’s now at Butler and courting Clark, he will get nearer to the Fever star. They’ve a bunch textual content collectively. “It has been actually cool to see his development final yr, and Fever’s development as a complete… It is a disgrace they misplaced, however they are a younger group. They’re going to come again.”
Tyrese Haliburton congratulates Caitlin Clark after shedding her second profession triple-double within the @IndianaFeverit is received tonight 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ve6Lmk6Nnr
– Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 5, 2024
Carlisle was questioned about Clark and the fever throughout a current interview with Steve Aschburner from NBA.com. “I’m a giant fan,” he stated of the staff. “Each area they enter is a high-energy occasion. It is actually cool.”
He added extra about Clark. “Tyrese [Haliburton] nonetheless is (on the sphere throughout Fever residence video games). She got here to a few of our folks. She has been a fantastic ambassador for our metropolis,” Carlisle stated. “Caitlin has had a fantastic yr. Angel Reese [had] a fantastic yr. You may make the argument that their arrival within the WNBA is quite a bit like Fowl and Magic’s arrival in 1979. The NBA took off with these guys coming into the league the identical means the WNBA took off with these two gamers. »
Extra on the Fever may be discovered right here.
