Indiana Fever’s recent game against the Valkyries brought a beautiful kind of mathematical symmetry. Both teams walked away with matching 6-6 records. However, that’s hardly the kind of balance the Fever were aiming for. Caitlin Clark went 0-for-7 from deep and finished with just 11 points. In a game that looked equal on paper, Indiana let slip their shot at a first regular-season hat trick. They fell short by 10 well-rounded points when it mattered most.
“Podziemski, Please.”
Most of the fans were outraged by Brandin Podziemski’s unprofessional behavior. Rightfully so on their part, because the travel call wasn’t the sole incident where he got up to show support. Even when the Valkyries forced an early Fever timeout with a 7-2 lead, Brandin Podziemski and Joe Lacob were on their feet celebrating and clapping on the hardwood. Podziemski even unleashed the iconic “Night night” celebration after Veronica Burton nailed a step-back jumper to extend Golden State’s lead to 87–77 with just 36.1 seconds left in the game.
Frustrated with such acts, one fan wrote “If any fan did this to him at a warrior game his soft ass would probably cry. show some respect and stay off the court.”
It’s justified to feel so, during matchups like these, the court should be off limits, be it a casual fan or a player from the WNBA’s men’s counterpart. However, the Valkyries were all giggly for his active presence and support. To express that, they even gave Podziemski the T-shirt cannon, which he launched in the crowd for one lucky viewer to grab. His energy supporting the GSV was unmatched, but some fans complained that he hadn’t really been able to do that for the Warriors.
A person wrote, “Top Ramen Hair needs sit down and actually be in the gym. Ain’t came through for the warriors at all.” Whatever he did, though, Caitlin Clark took it all like a sport while keeping a smile on. She handled all of it with such grace, unlike many others, where stars just snap. One person on social media managed to take it in the same spirit. They wrote, “She laughed at it tho. He’s a silly guy.”
Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton doubles down on this lighthearted take, saying, “He’s just a great supporter. He has everybody’s jersey so any given night he’s wearing anyone’s jersey. It’s good, when you look up you can’t miss him. Just to see him hyped up gives me a little more energy. Shoutout to them (GSW)…because we do need it.” The Valkyries really did need it, because the Fever never goes down without a tough fight.
After all, they started out with a 9-point lead in the first quarter. Moreover, even when Caitlin Clark underperformed, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell were there to pick up the slack by contributing 17 and 16 points, respectively. Sophie Cunningham contributed 9 points, and one fan referenced her act of justice for Caitlin Clark in the last game. There, she grabbed Sheldon’s hair and pulled her to the ground after Sheldon had previously poked Caitlin Clark in the eye. The fan wrote with sarcasm, “Where is Cunningham to defend Clark?”
That’s how it went down. But some people even thought, “LMAO he’s a legend for that.“ And fair enough. Because even he was scared of CC’s abilities, as he admitted before the game, comparing the Fever star to Steph Curry. “Very similar. The threat of them shooting is always in the back of your brain, so any head fake or hesi they give you, you tend to bite at that. You’re antsy guarding them.” So, of course, he had to bring the best energy possible.
What’s your verdict, though? Did Brandin Podziemski cross a line, or was it a “have to do this” situation, or was it nothing but a lighthearted basketball rivalry? Let us know.
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