Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve blasted the officiating in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, saying the title was "stolen" from her team after a dramatic 67-62 overtime loss to the New York Liberty in the winner-take-all contest on Sunday.
"I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team," Reeve said. "We know this from being a part of the game for so long that sometimes you get away with stuff when you're physical and aggressive, and they certainly did. It's a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this. Obviously there's always gonna be a team that's a little more disappointed than the other. I thought today was incredibly disappointing."
Reeve was most upset about the controversial call at the end of regulation, where the refs said that Alanna Smith fouled Breanna Stewart (after Stewart appeared to travel). The Lynx challenged, but the call was upheld. Stewart went to the line to make two free throws and tie the game at 60-60 with 5.2 seconds left, which forced overtime.
"The challenge," Reeve said. "We have got to change our challenge rules. The officials during the game should have a third party because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge... If we would have turned that clip in, they would have told us that it was marginal contact, no foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed.
"So when you review, those should be the same parameters that you're reviewing with. But the three people that are on the game need a third party to let them know, because that decided the game. That decided the game."
There wasn't much of a disparity in the total number of fouls called, as the Lynx were called for 21 and the Liberty were whistled for 17. However, the Liberty shot 25 free throws compared to just eight for the Lynx, and Napheesa Collier fouled out in overtime.
Toward the end of her press conference, Reeve took her criticism to another level.
"I know all the headlines will be 'Reeve Cries Foul.' Bring it on, right. Bring it on," Reeve said. "Because this shit was stolen from us. Bring it on.
"We talked about it. We could have done these things, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent. This shit ain't that hard. Officiating, it's not that hard. When someone is being held, be consistent. If you don't want to call it a hold at one end, don't call it at other. Be consistent. Every team asks for that. Sandy asked for that last game. Three of the games in this series, we're talking about the same damn thing.
"So I tell these guys, for whatever reason, it didn't work out. It just doesn't feel right that you lose a series with that level of discrepancy. We don't have a team that whines and complains, and all that stuff. Sometimes it probably hurts us. Maybe being a little more, I don't know, something. But you have a star player like Phee, that just, I don't get it. I don't get how she can be held and go to the basket and get hit, and then a marginal, at best, at best, sends their best player to the free throw line. I mean, that's tough. It's tough to swallow."
Earlier in the series, Reeve called out the officials after the Lynx's Game 3 loss. Her team then won Game 4 while shooting 20 free throws compared to nine for the Liberty. Likewise, New York coach Sandy Brondello tried her hand at working the refs with public comments after the Liberty's Game 4 loss. "Just be fair," Brondello pleaded. To what extent those remarks affected the officiating will never be known, but the Liberty certainly had the advantage at the free throw line in Game 5.