"Team plays better without Caitlin": WNBA fans react as Caitlin Clark's teammate Natasha Howard wins Commissioner's Cup MVP

Caitlin Clark was sidelined for the Indiana Fever’s Commissioner’s Cup Final victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, but her absence proved to be no setback. Veteran forward Natasha Howard stepped up in spectacular fashion, powering the Fever to a 74-59 win and helping the franchise capture its first-ever Commissioner’s Cup title.

Howard’s dominant all-around performance earned her unanimous MVP honors. She posted an impressive stat line of 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 35 minutes of play. Howard shot 4-for-10 from the field and was perfect from the free throw line, going 8-for-8.

Social media lit up following Howard’s MVP win, with fans flooding timelines with praise and excitement. However, the celebration also sparked some surprising reactions as a few users took the opportunity to throw shade at Caitlin Clark, highlighting that the Fever reached championship glory in her absence.

"Team plays better without Caitlin," a fan said.

ooooobk

@FeelLikeOBK

Team plays better without Caitlin 😭😭😭

Another fan said:

Siphon

@SiphonLord

Clark could never

A fan commented:

Humble Beast

@_godscreation_8

Fever winning without Caitlin , yea Vegas just made a lot of money

Another fan commented:

Southpaws Run Boxing 🐊

@SPRUNBOXING

Watch Sky fans who celebrated a unrivaled championship she didn’t even play in say this cup doesn’t count for cc🤣🤣🤣

A user wrote:

JSX Sports

@maxmaxsx

They said Unrivaled didn't count for Angel because she didn't play in the final. Using this argument CC didn't win because she didn't play. Pathetic 🫵🏿😆

Another user wrote:

Ju Manson

@Lifwem14

When fever wins it’s cause Clark won them the game . When fever loses yall blame the coach , the players , everybody but Clark . Her teammates never gets credit it’s always Clark Clark Clark . Her teammates won this game not her .

Natasha Howard reveals tactic to stop Napheesa Collier

Natasha Howard wasn’t just dominant on the boards or delivering clutch buckets in the second half, she also embraced the toughest defensive assignment of the night. The veteran forward took it upon herself to guard Napheesa Collier and executed the task to near perfection, using grit and physicality to neutralize the MVP frontrunner.

Collier had one of her worst performances of the season, shooting just 6-for-18 from the field and managing only 12 points. After the game, Howard opened up about her mindset and shared how she was able to keep the Lynx star in check during such a high-stakes showdown.

Sara Jane Gamelli

@SaraJGamelli

Natasha Howard:​"I knew I had a handful with (Napheesa) Collier. My thing was limit her to hard shots. That's what I did tonight, made it uncomfortable for her, but at the end of the day, she was gonna still get her buckets."

Before the season tipped off, Howard didn’t shy away from setting the bar high. The veteran forward boldly declared her ambition to win the MVP award and on Tuesday, she made that dream a reality.