Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was not fined for slamming officials and claiming that the WNBA Finals were “stolen from us” after they fell to the New York Liberty earlier this month, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Reeve ripped the officiating after the Liberty beat them 67-62 in overtime of Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, which gave the Liberty their first championship in franchise history.
Though she was pointing to a larger issue throughout the series, there was one moment late in Game 5 that set Reeve off. Liberty star Breanna Stewart drew a foul on a midrange jumper with less than six seconds left in the fourth quarter. She made both of her free throw attempts, which forced overtime and eventually allowed the Liberty to push ahead to the win.
However the foul, which was called on Alanna Smith, was minimal.
With the Lynx up by 2 points and 5 seconds left in the game, a foul was called on Alanna Smith
The Lynx challenged the call but it was unsuccessful. Breanna Stewart hit both free throws and we are going to OT!!#WNBA pic.twitter.com/DzFra6gIis
— WNBA Universe (@wnbauniverse) October 21, 2024
The Lynx were called for 21 personal fouls in the game, compared to just 17 on the Liberty. The Liberty shot 25 free throws, too, while the Lynx shot eight.
“All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on, right?” Reeve said after the game. “Bring it on, because this s**t was stolen from us. Bring it on.”
Reeve, who earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors last season, also called out the officiating for being too inconsistent throughout the series. She even landed a stray shot on the Liberty organization, which had been to the Finals five previous times before finally lifting the trophy, during her postgame interveiw
“I mean, congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship … It took them 28 years,” Reeve said. “Congrats to them, you know. We were that close to our fifth, it just didn’t happen.
“It’s disappointing. It’s incredibly disappointing. … We were that damn close, and it hurts. It hurts.”
While the league didn’t fine Reeve for her comments, which is standard practice for anyone that criticizes officiating throughout the season, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello wasn’t fined either after she criticized the officiating after Game 4. In that contest, the free throw disparity was flipped. The Lynx shot 20 free throws, while the Liberty attempted just nine.
Reeve has spent the last 15 seasons with the Lynx. She’s won four championships there, and was searching for what would have been a record fifth title. She also led Team USA to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this summer.
