Reusse: Fans are disappointed Caitlin Clark didn’t play, and then Lynx let big payday slip away

Two women were headed across 1st Avenue and away from Target Center at roughly 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. They were wearing T-shirts, one blue and one red, and both in honor of No. 22 for the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark.

One woman was talking on a cellphone and the other had a grasp on the right hand of a girl, 7 years old perhaps, and also wearing a No. 22 jersey.

“I’ll bet that she will play a few minutes,” said the adult into the phone.

Hearing this, the young girl asked with concern: “Is she going to play?”

Even though these were clearly Iowans, and Minnesota fans are known to chant “Who hates Iowa?” at football games, I didn’t have the evil streak to say, “No, kid. Caitlin’s not playing. You should have spent the day at Lake Okoboji.”

Note: You can look it up.

Meanwhile, one block away on Hennepin Avenue, it was way too early for Tom’s Watch Bar to be enjoying a stream of customers before the best-attended Lynx home game of 2025.

“We haven’t seen any Iowa fans here to support Caitlin yet, as is usually the case when she plays here,” said a woman at the front stand.

Holy Herky, right then in walked a foursome, including Michelle in a Clark T-shirt and husband Josh — joining Lisa and Katie, friends and Lynx season ticket-holders.

“It’s OK; we live near Iowa City and have watched Caitlin for a few years,” Michelle said. “I’m disappointed for the kids that came to see her.”

There were plenty of those, even for a game that was an add-on to the Lynx home schedule as hosts for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Once it was determined the Fever and potentially Clark were the opponents, the lower bowl sold out in an alleged eight minutes. And then the Caitlin worshippers and Lynx zealots started working on the second deck.

The Lynx were in this game as road underdogs to the New York Liberty last season and pulled an upset to take the $500,000 prize that’s split among players. This time, the Lynx (14-2) were large favorites, and that was before it became official that Clark would sit out for the Fever (8-8).

Courtney Williams, the ferocious and humorous Lynx point guard, was asked before the game if it was disappointing not to have the challenge of taking on Clark in this national television attraction.

“I do enjoy playing against her, but tonight, I don’t care who I’m playing against,” Williams said. “Tonight, it’s about the cash. I think I wound up with $30,000 last year. I want that again.”

Williams was sitting on a chair next to Lindsay Whalen, the guard who was a chief operator on the four Lynx title teams from 2011 to 2017. They looked at an iPad for a few minutes, then Williams nodded and looked toward her teammates’ pregame shooting.

“Lindsay helpful?” Williams was asked.

Answer: “She’s the best. She sees everything out there.”

Preceding this contest that was started as a duplicate of the NBA’s in-season tournament (now the Emirates Cup), the conversation involved Monday’s announcement the WNBA would be adding expansion teams in Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia – all bringing $250 million from NBA franchise owners to the WNBA coffers.

Cheryl Reeve, who wound up at Minnesota in 2009 after the successful Detroit Shock moved to Tulsa (and then to Dallas), was asked about her league that has gone from 12 teams for 15 seasons 2010 to 2024 to 18 by 2030.

Reeve, also general manager and the league’s senior coach, said: “It’s exciting — $250 million evaluations is something that those of us that started the league, that were around when franchises were ceasing operations ... We always knew that if we stuck with it, that we could get to this place.

“Obviously, I have fond hope that both Detroit and Cleveland learned a lot about their experiences the first time around ... And I’m excited for Philly, as everybody knows, it’s an incredibly passionate fan base, and I am thrilled they are going to get behind a WNBA team.”

Reeve was in a considerably less upbeat mood a few hours later. The Lynx went from 5.5-point favorites to 9.5 points on Tuesday afternoon after Clark was ruled out. That seemed light, particularly as the Lynx came out with a 27-14 lead four minutes into the second quarter.

The home team didn’t score again in the half. The Fever scored the last 18 points of the half, then the first bucket of the third quarter.

If these had been the Timberwolves losing to the injury-riddled Indiana Pacers, as they did at Target Center on March 17, boos would have been heard.

The Lynx have a kinder audience (especially when leading the league), and a few thousand of those fans were drawn by Clark.

She didn’t play and, basically, neither did Coach Reeve’s team — particularly for nine scoreless minutes and outscored 20-0.

Fever 74, Lynx 59. Doesn’t count in the standings, but it does in Courtney Williams’ bank account.