Caitlin Clark needs a better game plan: 3 things Fever coach Christie Sides must do in Game 2 vs. Sun

The Fever dropped Game 1 of their playoff series against the Sun in disappointing fashion, getting blown out 93-69. Indiana obviously needs to play much better to stand a chance in the best-of-three series, and it starts with shooting higher than 21.4 percent from 3. 

More than the adjustment of simply making more shots, there are a couple of things that head coach Christie Sides and company can do to make life easier for Caitlin Clark. Clark recorded eight assists but had just 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-13 from 3. 

Clark will shoot better in Game 2, but the Fever need to do a better job as a team of alleviating the suffocating pressure that she faced from the Sun’s No. 1-ranked defense.

Here are three things that can help change the outcome of Game 2. 

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3 things Caitlin Clark, Christie Sides and Fever must do in Game 2 vs. SunHave better strategies to combat double teams on Caitlin ClarkThe Sun did a good job of mixing up defensive coverages on Clark, changing up both who was defending her and the scheme used against her throughout the game. Their most effective strategy came in the third quarter when the game started to slip away. 

The Sun ramped up the pressure on Clark during that period, sending two defenders at her more often. Clark’s teammates weren’t in a good position to catch the ball, leading to numerous sloppy possessions. 

Clark and the Fever could try taking a page out of Golden State’s playbook when she faces this type of pressure. Rather than using an awkward angle to force a pass into Aliyah Boston, they can bring Kelsey Mitchell higher up the floor and use her as a release value.

This technique is called shorting the roll, which Warriors coach Steve Kerr has employed successfully when Stephen Curry faces this same type of pressure. 

What’s your favorite tweak to an otherwise typical/normal half-court action?

Mine’s probably “short” action or “shorting” the pick-and-roll. When teams directly cut off the pass to the roll man, involving a middleman to act as the release valve bypasses aggressive PnR coverages. pic.twitter.com/jm61M7upxA

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) July 20, 2023Shorting the roll also gives Clark a better chance to remain involved in the rest of the play, giving her an easier opportunity to run get action and receive the ball back. 

MORE: Inside the budding rivalry between Caitlin Clark and DiJonai Carrington

Play more shooting around Caitlin ClarkNaLyssa Smith was largely ineffective as a starter, going scoreless in Game 1. To her credit, Sides realized this early and limited Smith to just nine minutes in the game. 

Sides may want to consider starting Damiris Dantas in Game 2, who is a much better 3-point shooter than Smith. Dantas hit 2-of-3 from deep in Game 1 and has nailed 39.4 percent of her 3s for the season compared to just 29.2 percent for Smith. 

Dantas’ shooting opens up the floor considerably for Clark and others. When she and Clark played on the floor together during the regular season, the Fever were outstanding, outscoring opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions. When Clark played without Dantas, the Fever were outscored by 4.0 points per 100 possessions.

The Fever saw the reverse effect with Smith, getting killed in the minutes that she and Clark played together during the regular season and playing much better with Smith on the bench.

Smith might need to see her minutes reduced to zero in Game 2. 

MORE: Updated list of Caitlin Clark’s accolades after sterling rookie season

Maintain the transition advantageThe Fever are at their best when they are running the ball. They had by far the best offense after the All-Star break by using that strategy. Yet it was the Sun who maintained an 18-9 advantage in fast break points in Game 1. 

The Fever’s transition attack was stymied in part by poor rebounding. The Sun had six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and eight for the game. The Sun also made 49.3 percent of their shots, forcing the Fever to inbound the ball from their own basket.

Forcing more misses and grabbing more defensive rebounds will naturally lead to easier run-outs. So will creating more turnovers. The Sun had just 10, which is 3.3 below their season average.

The easiest adjustment is to simply run the floor harder. Clark is the most brilliant transition passer in the game. Any time her teammates beat their defender down the floor, she will find them.

The Fever are the much younger team in this series, with fresher legs. There needs to be more of those hustle plays in Game 2.