Diana Taurasi Praised Caitlin, Or Did She When Reading Between The Lines? | Glenn Guilbeau

When you have been to many news conferences, you start to listen within the quotes, if you will.

When you pay close attention, sometimes you will notice a tell, which is evidence of the real truth beyond the frequent press conference BS.

After the Phoenix Mercury melted to an 88-82 loss to the still-below-.500 Indiana Fever on Sunday at home on ESPN, Phoenix veteran superstar guard Diana Taurasi committed a tell.

Amid a slew of professional and courteous compliments of the play of Indiana rookie sensation guard Caitlin Clark at a press conference, Taurasi may have also communicated some of her more true feelings.

Rookie Caitlin Clark (left) of the Indiana Fever played against WNBA superstar guard Diana Taurasi, who is nearly 20 years older, for the first time on Sunday in Phoenix. Clark and Indiana won, 88-82. (Getty Images)

"It's amazing," Taurasi said. "What Caitlin Clark has been able to do in her short career so far has been nothing short of remarkable."

Key words: "Short career."

REALITY CHECK UPDATE: Caitlin Clark Goes Real On Diana Taurasi

She may be saying that Clark has done many great things quickly in her first year in the WNBA through just 20 games. Or she's saying something closer to "Beginner's luck."

Diana Taurasi Previously Took Soft Shot At Caitlin Clark

That comment sort of amended a previous soft shot Taurasi took at Clark before the season that drew a lot of attention. 

"Reality is coming," Taurasi laughed on April 5 in an ESPN interview about Clark before Indiana took Clark with the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft. "You look super human playing against 18-year-olds, but you're going to be going versus some grown women who've been playing professional basketball for a long time. It's going to be a transition period."

Maybe what Taurasi, the first pick of the 2004 WNBA Draft by Phoenix, was saying Sunday was closer to, "It's still early."

All of Taurasi's above comments on Clark were fair. But there has not been much of a transition at all for Clark. A few bumps in the road, yeah, but she still has been one of the best WNBA players and THE best rookie on a team that went 13-27 last year. In fact, she is having one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history - better than Taurasi's, by the way.

Clark leads the WNBA in 3-pointers with 56, is third in assists a game with 6.9, and is 16th in scoring with 16.2. She has also been extremely versatile as she is 18th in rebounding with 5.7 a game and 16th in blocked shots with just under one a game - as a guard.

Diana Taurasi (left) has praised Caitlin Clark's play, but she may just be talking a good game. (Getty Images)

As a rookie in 2004 for Phoenix, Taurasi was not quite the 3-point ace as Caitlin, but averaged one point above her with 17 a game along with fewer rebounds at 4.4 and assists at 3.9 assists while winning WNBA Rookie of the Year. She also did not have as great a college career individually, but got to play for the U.S. Olympic team. Clark will not in what may be a clear agenda move to keep a lot of jealous players and racially-angry media members appeased.

Am I nitpicking Diana's comments? Maybe. But Taurasi made another similar comment Sunday.

"Even throughout her short WNBA career (there it is again), there has been a lot of pressure," she said. "A lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game. Her future is super bright."

You can't get much nicer and more accurate than that. Taurasi is a pro. But she did use "short career" again. Maybe, Taurasi is just talking a good game for the most part.

Then later, she was asked what Clark has done for the league in the first half of the season. And this one may have struck a nerve as Taurasi is not the only WNBA veteran or WNBA "journalist" tired of hearing about how Clark has taken over the WNBA, which she has in the way of attendance and TV ratings like no other player in history. That's just a fact.

"More importantly, I think she's done a lot for the Indiana Fever," Taurasi said.

Really? More importantly?

Diana Taurasi Deflected More Questions Than Shots

Again, fair statement, but Taurasi seems slow to want to talk about some rookie's impact on a league that she has dominated for two decades.

Caitlin Clark came within one rebound of the first triple-double by a WNBA rookie in league history on Sunday at Phoenix. (Getty Images)

Taurasi did allow this - "Obviously, what she's done nationally for the game has been pretty incredible."

But she quickly returned to deflecting by saying Clark is doing more for the Fever than for the WNBA. And that's not the whole story. The Fever is still only 8-12, while more people are watching the WNBA than ever before, and the highest rated TV games all feature Clark.

"I think what she's doing for that team is pretty impressive," Taurasi said. "When I think of her, I think of what she does for her team."

No. When most people think of the WNBA now, they think of Caitlin, because they used to never think of the WNBA pre-Caitlin.

Diana, you're blocking, and not shots on the court.

Taurasi and teammate Natasha Cloud continued their denial river journey when asked about the atmosphere at the game Sunday, which drew a season high home crowd for Phoenix of 17,071 at the Footprint Center - because of Caitlin's footprint again.

"Did it feel like a playoff game?," they were asked.

"Felt like a home game," Taurasi said.

"We've been selling out every game," Cloud said. "It felt like a normal home game."

WRONG … DENIAL …. BLOCKING CAITLIN IMPACT.

Fans In Phoenix Were Cheering For Caitlin Clark

Phoenix did draw 14,363 for its home win over Los Angeles on Friday. But the Mercury's first home game against Clark nearly doubled the average attendance for its first eight home games, which was 9,239. Phoenix has hit double-digit attendance only three times over its last nine games. And TV viewers could clearly hear fans at the Phoenix home arena cheering for Clark.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was welcomed in Phoenix Sunday as if it was one of her home games. (Getty Images)

Indiana, meanwhile, leads the WNBA in attendance with 16,757 a game. Without Clark last year, it averaged 7,356.

Oh, and Clark also outplayed Taurasi on Sunday despite a migraine headache, scoring 15 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds to 19 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals by Taurasi. Close stats, but Taurasi let her team surrender a 27-2 run to Indiana in blowing a 53-38 third quarter lead to fall behind by 65-55. Phoenix, which dropped to 9-9 on the season, also became the first over .500 team to lose to Indiana.

And Clark came within one rebound of becoming the first WNBA rookie in history to score a triple-double. She is also the only WNBA rookie since Sue Bird in 2002 to have multiple games of 15 points and 10 assists, and she's done that twice in three games.

That's "reality coming" right at you, Diana!

"I'm just happy we won," Clark said when asked about playing Taurasi for the first time in a deflection of her own. "I think we were just resilient. When they punched us in the mouth, we always found a way to answer."

And Caitlin Clark answered Diana Taurasi's glancing jabs of words loud and clear.