“Noooo, stay down!”: Tamika Catchings left distraught by Maya Moore’s iconic game-winner in crushing Fever heartbreak

Tamika Catchings and Maya Moore battled in the 2015 WNBA Finals, three years after their iconic battle on the same stage.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Catchings opened up on Moore's legendary game-winner, joking that she still has flashbacks of Moore pulling up from beyond the arc in Game 3.

“’Noooooooooo! (laughs)," Catchings said on Friday. 'Stay down!’ Even now, I think about it. My whole life flashed before me with that one shot. It’s crazy. It was a great series.

"The time we had played against Minnesota, they were always very great games. I hope Maya doesn’t bring it up on the stage. That’s what great players do. They step up and make great plays.”

The Fever won Game 4, but Moore and the Lynx closed the series at home in Game 5 despite an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double from Catchings.

Tamika Catchings reflects on 2012 WNBA Finals vs. Maya Moore

Three years before Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever's 2015 WNBA Finals defeat, the two teams clashed in the 2012 finals.

Catchings and the Fever prevailed in the hard-fought four-game series just months after she and Maya Moore won an Olympic gold medal in London.

At the time, Catchings was 10 years into her WNBA career and already cemented herself as one of the best players in league history. Meanwhile, Moore was in her second campaign after winning a title with the Lynx in her rookie season.

"When I look back at 2012, the stars aligned the right way," Catchings said on Friday, via Sportskeeda's Mark Medina. "It was fun. We went from being teammates a month or so before that with the Olympic team. Then we come back and we’re all fighting. We know there is going to be only one championship.”

While the two battled it out on the court as rivals, they built a relationship of mutual respect and admiration that continues to this day.

As Moore noted in a 2015 interview, she looked up to Catchings before she made the jump to the WNBA. When she turned pro, the admiration and respect she had for her only multiplied.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez