JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
USA Women's Basketball Humble Japanese Fan With ‘You Need Caitlin Clark to Beat Us’ Sign, Gear Up to Defeat Belgium
A Japanese fan tried trolling Team USA with a tempting Caitlin Clark Sign. In the end, U.S women had the last laugh as they Decisively beat Japan in the Paris Olympics opener.
It is often said that sports fans are known for their edgy humor and creative ability to get under the skin of athletes. Surprisingly, a Japanese fan tried his hand in something similar by sporting an ‘Interesting’ poster during Team vs Japan pre-game warm up session.
The fan sign read ‘You need Caitlin Clark To Beat Us’, an obvious dig at Caitlin Clark’s exclusion from Team USA Women’s roster for 2024 Olympics. As a rookie, Clark has garnered a ton of praise and has managed to become a fan favorite.
Coming into the league as an Iowa sensation, WNBA fans welcomed Clark with open arms. The 22-year-old soon became the talk of the league as the sports media fixated on the early success of one of the league’s rising stars. With insane hype and popularity, many expected her to be selected for Team USA Women’s National Basketball Team.
Her Omission from the final roster opened the floodgates for many fans as they criticized the committee, accusing them of favoritism and bias.
Nonetheless, America’s finest didn’t take the mockery lying down and replied back in kind with a historic performance.
ALSO READ: ‘Women’s Basketball Is a Joke’: WNBA Fans Slam Team USA for Caitlin Clark Snub After Olym
Stewart and Wilson take over, lead USA over Japan
The American team went up against the 2020 Olympic finalists Japan in their tournament opener. The U.S held multiple advantages over the Japanese, one particularly obvious which was height. The USA Women’s Basketball team had six players on court taller than Japan’s tallest hooper, Maki Takada.
Team Japan tried their best to stay competitive throughout the game, even trailing by just seven points late in the second quarter. But A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart pushed the gap with their relentless Interior game as they both combined for 46 points, 21 rebounds, and seven blocks.
As pointed out by ESPN’s senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst, the U.S made 32 baskets in the paint, scoring 64 points through entry passes and offensive rebounds. Britney Griner was as usual, the different maker on the inside.
Chelsea Grey did a great job setting up her teammates with 13 assists. Sabrina Ionescu also had her moments on the field with 13 points and five assists.
ALSO READ: Kelsey Plum’s Reaction to Hard Foul During Team USA’s Win Goes Viral
Who will team USA face next?
Next on the card for USWNBT are Belgium whom they face on August 01, followed by Germany on August 3rd.
Belgium and USA met each other about five months ago in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp. The game was surprisingly a close one as the U.S narrowly avoided overtime thanks to Stewart's impressive last second tip-in.
While the Americans won their first game against Japan, Belgium fell to Germany 83-69, failing to rally in the second half. Despite their loss, it would be wrong to underestimate ‘The Cats’ on August first.
Since Lille, France is the home of the group play games, team Belgium will certainly have a large crowd cheering them on in the stands as Lille is close to the border of Belgium.
The Belgian Cats will look to back their talent and resilience and become the first team to defeat the Americans on the Olympic stage since 1996.
Nonetheless, the odds are stacked in the U.S's favor as they have more depth, and more top level competitive experience.
Latest Articles
