The Indiana Fever entered Sunday’s game against the Dallas Wings on a two-game losing streak. By dropping consecutive games to the Las Vegas Aces, Indiana fell to 19-19.
Hosting the Wings (9-29) on Sunday, Indiana got back into the win column with a 110-109 victory.
All-Star rookie Caitlin Clark entered Sunday with six technical fouls on the season after picking up her sixth in Friday’s loss to Las Vegas. Frustrated with a foul call in the first half of Sunday’s game against Dallas, Clark avoided a seventh technical.
Fever reporter Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files called out head coach Christie Sides for not defending Clark in this instance. Many Indiana fans have taken this criticism a step further, calling for Sides’ firing.
“Fire Christie Sides,” @jayL8244 wrote on X.
Clark was removed from the game by Sides after this foul. Not only were Indiana fans upset with Sides for not defending the star rookie, but they also did not like the decision to remove her from the game.
“#FreSides,” @BobbyDell wrote on X.
After Clark made history by breaking the WNBA’s single-season rookie scoring record, some fans remained on the topic of firing Sides.
“I can’t over state how bad of a coach Sides is #FireSides,” another fan wrote.
Calls Mount for Christie Sides’ Firing After Caitlin Clark Decision in Fever-Wings
While not every upset fan called for Sides’ job on Sunday, the criticism from the fan base was intense.
Via @BlueBetty107 on X: “This. Christie Sides has got learn to SPEAK UPPPP. Becky Hammon sometimes does too much but those players KNOW their coach has their back. They don’t have to speak up bc she’s got it. The Fever is missing that.”
Other fans have made it clear they want Sides called out in her postgame media session on the topic of defending her players.
Via @the_realami on X: “can you call her out in the presser??? it’s ridiculous at this point. she NEVER speaks up for her players”
Unhappy with Sides’ decision to not defend Clark, and subsequently remove her from the game, many Fever fans have made their opinion extremely clear.
Amid the Sides criticism, Indiana hung on to defeat Dallas and end its brief skid.
