Caitlin Clark is quite often the main event when it comes to basketball of any sort.
But on this Sunday? She and her Indiana Fever teammates - passionate supporters of the Indiana Pacers - are happy to serve as the "appetizers.''
The WNBA sensation Clark, now in her second season as the Fever centerpiece, has been very demonstrative of her support of her NBA brothers, highlighted by a friendship with Tyrese Haliburton but also displayed by her attendance at games.
On this Game 7 Sunday for the NBA Finals between the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, she will be hard-pressed to be physically present; there is a 3 p.m. Fever game in Las Vegas against the Aces ... and the Pacers/OKC tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Still, Clark says she is "super-excited'' about the matchup.
"Super-excited, and I feel good about it," Clark said, "and I thought they were tremendous in Game 6 and now it's a winners-take-all kinda game. So, no matter which way it goes tonight, the type of season they've had has been absolutely incredible and you have to appreciate that. ...
"We're going to be cheering for them really hard."
The Fever's coach is Stephanie White, a high-profile basketball name in this state.
"It's huge," White said of Indy's NBA Finals presence. "The last time the Pacers were in the Finals in 2000, I was in the stands, I was a player for the Fever. And now they get an opportunity to again play for a championship in a historic Game 7.''
Of course, the WNBA game matters, too, but ...
"It's a big day,'' White said. "Indiana, as everyone knows, loves basketball. We're born and bred to shoot it through that round hoop. And so for everybody that gets to watch, we get to be the appetizer and the big show later tonight."