The Indiana Fever endured a tough defeat against the Minnesota Lynx on the road Saturday. Although the Lynx are renowned for attracting top WNBA talent, many fans attribute the Fever’s loss to a decision made by head coach Christie Sides.
Sides opted not to start the talented guard Lexie Hull, despite her recent success in the lineup. Hull has been one of the Fever’s most effective spot-up shooters and has shown strong chemistry with Caitlin Clark.
Hull played the most minutes by a large margin off the bench. She had 26 minutes of game action, logging in more time than NaLyssa Smith and Katie Lou Samuelson.
The 24-year-old finished the 90-80 loss with 10 points and two rebounds. She ended the night shooting 66.7% from three and 80% from the field.
WNBA fans shared their frustrated reactions on social media, with many commenting on the potential for the Indiana Fever to fire Christie Sides, given her trouble managing the lineup.
“Christie Sides needs to be fired.” explained one fan. “Starts Katie Lou over Hull after Lexie scores a season-high on 6 threes. Puts Hull in the game to guard Napheesa Collier when we have Dantas and Boston in the game. Refuses to run sets designed for Caitlin Clark resulting in her getting trapped.”
“Christie Sides not starting Lexie Hull & not getting Caitlin open for shots in 2nd half is unacceptable!” said another fan. “Imagine if the Indiana Fever had a real head coach, where they’d be this season.”
“Fire Christie Sides, start Lexie Hull.” mentioned another fan.
“Christie Sides is too much of a coward to make the hard decisions that comes with being the head coach,” said another fan. “she is an assistant and nothing more. Get her gone.”
“Christie sides should b fired for not starting Lexi hull,” commented another fan.
“Fire christie sides already!! she is assistant coach material not head coach,” said another.
“Christie sides is not a serious individual you know what lineups worked why are you suddenly moving away from it,” said one fan.
It’s unknown who fans believe Sides would have replaced Hull within the lineup, but it’s clear that the trio of Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Lexie Hull leads to success. In the Fever’s last victory against the Seatle Storm, they combined for 72 points.
Hull finished the game with a season-high 22 points, shooting lights out from beyond the arc, while Mitchell scored a team-high 27 points, and Clark recorded 23 points.
They helped the Fever secure their second straight win against a team above .500, taking down the Phoenix Mercury days before that victory.
Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides
Indiana was having success, especially with Hull being a spark for the team from the three-point range, but Sides decided it was best to have her come off the bench on Saturday.
It’s a bizarre decision since Hull would be able to open up the floor for the rest of the offense, which justifies some of the Fever faithful’s reactions, but a decision to fire Christie Sides based on their loss to the Lynx may be crossing the line.
