Paige Bueckers made 9 out of 10 shots in Game 1, then only 3 out of 14 in the final game. Caitlin Clark put up 27 points in Game 2 but shot 6 of 18 in her final game.

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers took the louder criticism. Dallas led by 16 at Chase Center on Friday, yet Golden State rallied for a 77-73 win, and Bueckers' running pull-up with 2.4 seconds left missed.

Bueckers shot 3 of 14 and 1 of 4 from behind the arc, but hit only 17 points by going 10 for 10 from the foul line. Over the last two games, Bueckers shot 6 of 27 against Golden State's aggressive defense.

However, Fernandez defended her. When speaking to the media following the loss in Game 3 at Chase Center, Fernandez spoke on behalf of her point guard.

"We don't get to this point without Paige. She takes a lot of ownership and carries a heavy load. The great ones do," Fernandez said.

Fernandez could boast about an entire season to showcase her credentials. Bueckers averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in the Wings' journey from the last spot last season to the seventh seed spot, scoring 21 points and going 9-of-10 in the opening game of the series.

Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark brought a new kind of game to her series. She averaged 20.0 points and 9.7 assists, but the Las Vegas Aces, featuring superstar A'ja Wilson, managed to win Game 3 94-83 as she went 6-of-18 for 18 points.

Game 2 is a perfect example of why that is a painful exit. She finished the game with 27 points, 15 assists, and 7 rebounds; she recorded the first-ever 25-point, 15-assist game in the playoffs for the WNBA.

But in the subsequent games, they limited her to just seven points following an 11-point first quarter.

Did either of those guards fail their teams? Yes, but the off-season will prove challenging for both.

Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark Face Different Offseason Questions 

Bueckers bore the greater emotional burden, tearing up during her postgame press conference as Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale comforted her after scoring 30 points.

Her season still deserves perspective. In the regular season, Bueckers averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and had a field goal percentage of 51.2%, as the Wings rose from last place to seventh. Ogunbowale also set a playoff record with 45 points in Game 2.

Clark's questions exist at the edges. She was the first player in WNBA history to post 800 points and 300 assists in a season, but her 120 live-ball turnovers were a league-high. She had an uncalled elbow hit her right in the nose in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

They both walk into 2027 with something to prove. Clark enters her final year under her rookie-deal contract without having won a playoff series, while Bueckers is tasked with turning around the Valkyries' first-ever victory and using it as motivation for Dallas.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta