During last week’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Golden State Valkyries, Golden State guard Veronica Burton took a hard foul from Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. While Clark was assessed a flagrant 1 for the hard foul, it doesn’t sound like Burton expected there to be any lingering effects.
The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. Clark was setting a screen on Burton at the top of the three-point line. As Burton approached her, Clark appeared to throw her shoulder into Burton, knocking her to the ground and drawing a flagrant 1 foul for what the referees deemed as excessive contact.
As the Fever and the Valkyries prepare to face off again on Thursday night, Burton was asked if she is still feeling any lingering effects from the “hard foul” from Clark. While her teammate, Tiffany Hayes, has drawn a lot of criticism for her reactions to last week’s game, Burton had a rather calm response.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said calmly. “Basketball is a physical sport, so it’s not a hit that I don’t think I’ve felt before. So, the recovery comes in big with that.”
Burton was then asked about playing in front of the packed crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and she offered some praise for Clark for the attention she has brought to the league, calling it an “intense crowd” that “makes the game fun.”
“I’ve played against Caitlin for many years now, going back to college,” Burton said. “So I think that’s a refreshing thing about this league right now, too, is just like even playing here. Intense crowds, playing at Indy, super intense crowd. So it makes the game fun.”
After falling to the Fever by a score of 90-82 last week, Burton and the Valkyries will have a chance for a rematch on Thursday night as a rivalry between Hayes and Clark appears to have ignited.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.