It's not quite July, but the fireworks were popping Tuesday night in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever hosted the Connecticut Sun in a spicy rematch that proved to be poorly reffed and hyper-confrontational, and ended with three players ejected from the game in its last minute. While there are differing opinions on fighting in the sport, the interactions at the end of the game drew comparisons to the 1980s-era NBA — comparisons that aren't far off.
It was clear last night that tension was building throughout the game, and equally clear that the night's referees had very little control of the situation. Things really began to spiral out of control about halfway through the third quarter, when the Fever were up 55-45. Caitlin Clark had control of the ball when Sheldon intentionally poked her in the eye, and a shoving match ensued — Sheldon shoved Clark, Clark shoved back, and then Sheldon's teammate Marina Mabrey pushed Clark to the floor.
Sheldon was hit with a flagrant 1 foul, Clark with a technical foul for her response, Mabrey received her own tech, and the Sun's Tina Charles, who had run at Clark during the exchange, received an offsetting tech.
The players reorganized themselves and seemed set to make it through the game's end without another blow-up until all of a sudden, it became crystal clear they, in fact, were not. As Sheldon was attempting a breakaway layup in the game's final minute, Sophie Cunningham grabbed her — completely wrapping her arms around Sheldon and stopping her dead in her tracks — and then pulled her toward the floor. Just about every player that was nearby entered into a physical confrontation that ultimately resulted in the ejection of Cunningham, Sheldon, and Allen.
The NBA was marked by a series of league-changing fights in the 1980s
To an extent, fighting is part of any sport that puts athletes in such close proximity to one another, and what happens on the court is part of the game. And while some might not always love this part of it, there's no denying that fights have historically shaped the direction entire leagues moved in — something that was certainly part of the 1980s NBA.
One fight in particular from the era stands out in particular because it had huge financial consequences for the players involved. The 76ers and Celtics were on the tail end of a rivalry that was revved back up in November 1984. Larry Bird, who was angry about having received an offensive foul call, appeared to wind up to throw a punch at Julius Erving, who grabbed his neck. The ensuing melee brought both teams' benches on to the floor, and in the end 17 players and 76ers coach Bill Cunningham were all fined, and Bird and Erving had to pay $7,500 each — at the time, the second-highest fine in the league's history.
Fines have been a hot topic for the WNBA season, with players and coaches on multiple teams alluding to paying large sums following their comments and antics on the court. It's unclear what kind of fines Cunningham, Sheldon, and Allen were hit with, but having to fork out cash could be something that stops future fights from breaking out to this degree (especially since those WNBA paychecks are not what the NBA paychecks are).
On-court tension can and should play out, but battling it on the hardwood can come with consequences that can be financially tough and/or physically enormous. The WNBA is certainly experiencing growing pains, and perhaps a little on-court fracas from time to time is just part of the experience.