“That’s our era of basketball. Like pretty much like the girls, if you notice over the last couple years they’ve been a little more chippy than the men.” Paul Pierce, on the recent episode of his podcast, admitted that the physical of the WNBA always existed. Once again, the new season of the W brings back the question from last season: Do other players really hate Caitlin Clark? But the Truth and his longtime teammate feel otherwise and compared the recent situation of the Fever guard with Michael Jordan.
The 2024 ROTY in the W received a fair share of physical checks from her opponent throughout the season. So, coming into the sophomore season, CC knew it wouldn’t be easy once again, so she was prepared with toned muscles and a bit more endurance. But in the game against the Connecticut Sun, it was another reality check for the Des Moines native. Her physical training couldn’t have helped her against Jacy Sheldon’s antics in the third quarter.
As Clark tried to make a pass, Sheldon poked her in the eye, a move that sent Clark reeling back, grabbing her face. It resulted in a foul, which was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. It’s not the regular physical matchup one would expect on the court, but the Celtics duo, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, see this as a sign of respect for CC. The Truth first shared, “She get targeted, it’s like Jordan got targeted.” KG immediately seconded that thought process and said, “It’s a privilege, you’re the best player.”
Pierce then shared an analogy, best describes the situation. “They had the Jordan rules. When you so good, yeah, you gonna get targeted, it just is what it is. Like, come on, man, that’s you gotta like when you at a disadvantage.” For context, the “Jordan Rules” was a famous strategy by the ‘Bad Boys’ of the Detroit Pistons to limit the scoring of Michael Jordan. They would do so by being an extra physical, often aggressive approach to defending His Airness, aiming to disrupt his rhythm. Understanding the reference to the Jordan Rules, Kevin Garnett also applauded Caitlin Clark and her ability.
“It’s a privilege too though; It’s a privilege, though. It’s a privilege to be in a position where others are hating on you. And when others are hating on you, that mean you’re doing something right, you know what I’m saying.” The Big Ticket dropped the words of wisdom on their podcast.
How Caitlin Clark’s response compares to Michael Jordan’s
A legendary rivalry that stood as the biggest barrier to the championship aspirations of the Chicago Bulls until the 1991 ECF. After landing three consecutive playoff exits, coupled with physical suffering, the Jordan-led Bulls finally got revenge. Sweeping Detroit 4-0 in the 1991 ECF, Chicago punched its first-ever NBA Finals ticket. MJ had to make adjustments, which he certainly did. “I spent a lot of time looking at the film last week to figure out a way to beat the Jordan Rules.”
via Imago
Former Bulls star B.J. Armstrong explained in detail. “But he made an adjustment,” Armstrong said. “He figured out he had to catch the ball in position to score…hen he caught it because his footwork was so good, he could score in many ways. He was s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed enough to adapt to any situation.” The 1991 win was the start of the Bulls Dynasty that we know now. Similarly, Caitlin Clark doesn’t want the physicality aspect of the opponents to turn to an excuse.
“I’m here to play basketball, and that’s what it is,” Clark said on Tuesday, June 17. “My game’s gonna talk, and that’s all that really matters. I love this game, and I’m going to give it everything I have, so I think that’s what competitors do. You just step right back up to the challenge.” She did so on the court with a game-high 20 points, signifying not backing down from the ‘Clark Rules.’
