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The New York Knicks were stricken with Indiana Fever in more ways than one over the weekend.
Symptoms, alas for Manhattan, included elimination, as the Knicks dropped a 125-108 decision to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Caitlin Clark, star of the Fever (the Pacers’ WNBA roommates), was happy to pile onto the Knicks’ distress, going somewhat viral for imitating the trademark three-point celebration of New York star Jalen Brunson, pressing her thenar space between her thumb and index finger to her mouth after a Tyrese Haliburton triple during first half action.
The Knicks kept things close in the first half but were unable to flush the fever in the second, falling behind by as much as 21 before the Pacers officially secured their first NBA Finals berth since 2000. They’ll face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best-of-seven championship set, which gets underway on Thursday night.
Clark, commonly viewed as the face of the modern WNBA, attended Saturday’s game alongside Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull. Expectations are equally lofty for Indianapolis’ women’s squad, which boasts the talents of Boston and Clark, the last winners of the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year title.
Behind the addition of Clark, Indiana made its first WNBA playoff appearance since 2016 before picking up DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Howard, and head coach Stephanie White over the offseason.
Clark is currently sitting out due to a quad injury, one set to keep her out for at least two weeks. In four sophomore showings, the Iowa alumna has averaged 19 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds. She began the year with her third career triple-double in a win over Chicago, joining Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu, and Candace Parker as the only players in WNBA history to put up a trio.
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