Inside The Heat

Caitlin Clark Shoving Incident Would Have Ended Differently If 1990s Miami Heat-Knicks Were Involved

Shandel Richardson

May 9, 1997; Miami, FL; USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway (10) in action against New York Knicks forward Herb Williams (32) during the second round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs at the Miami Arena. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 1997; Miami, FL; USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway (10) in action against New York Knicks forward Herb Williams (32) during the second round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs at the Miami Arena. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports / RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

The incident involving Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter ended without a punch thrown or any retaliation.

Can you imagine that happening during a Miami Heat-New York Knicks playoffs series during the late 1990s? Probably not.

The Heat and Knicks took part in massive brawls in consecutive postseasons that started similarly as what transpired between Clark and Carter last weekend, causing some to notice the difference in mentality.

Carter shoved Clark from behind to the ground before the ball was inbounded. The non-basketball play was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul, but none of Clark's teammates jumped to her defense. Meanwhile, the Knicks and the Heat were in something that resembled a WWE Royal Rumble.

Watch the Heat-Knicks fights below:

In the 1997 playoffs, teammates of P.J. Brown and Charlie Ward rushed to their aid after they got into a scuffle underneath the basket. It kicked off with Brown body-slamming Ward into the stands. A year later, Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson exchanged swings before benches cleared, with Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy making their way to the court.

That was the most disappointing aspect about the Clark-Carter ordeal for former Heat guard Tim Hardaway. He was shocked to see none of Clark's teammates come to her defense.


"When she got knocked down, did you see the young lady come, she didn't come to her rescue," Hardaway said during an appearance on The Carton Show. "She walked over there and tried to pick her up instead of going after Kennedy like, `Yo, you don't mess with her.' You've got to protect your superstar."

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or check out his TikTok @apasciolla.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here