Frederick: Lynx gutted by Game 5 officiating in WNBA Finals defeat

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t hold back when discussing the officiating in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday in New York, in which Minnesota fell in overtime to fall just short of the franchise’s fifth title.

Reeve lamented the lack of consistency in calls from one end of the floor to the other, she decried the lack of calls for Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier, and she called for an overhaul of the WNBA’s challenge system.

She knew exactly which headlines her comments would create.

“I know all the headlines are going to be ‘Reeve cries foul,'” Reeve said. “Bring it on, right? Bring it on. Because this … was stolen from us. Bring it on.”

Collier attempted 23 shots, yet made zero trips to the free-throw line. Asked about how the Liberty defense adjusted to her in the second half, Collier acknowledged a heightened pressure from New York, but also added that it’s difficult to hit shots when you’re getting grabbed.

Reeve noted a lack of consistency from the refs on a night where the Liberty shot 25 free throws and Minnesota shot eight — a near inverse of the Game 4 split. But most all gripes centered on the end of regulation. Breanna Stewart put up a potential game-tying shot attempt with five seconds to play and New York down two. A foul was called that sent Stewart to the line.

Reeve challenged the call after video showed Lynx forward Alanna Smith got the ball at the top of Stewart’s shot attempt, but the officials determined, upon review, that the call stood because Smith wasn’t in legal guarding position and contact occurred in the lower body.

Reeve said if such a call was sent into the league office, the response would be that the contact was marginal and it was not a foul. She called for a third party to handle challenges in the future.

Reeve was critical of the officiating after Minnesota’s defeat in Game 3. New York coach Sandy Brondello returned the favor after the Liberty dropped Game 4.

“It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this,” Reeve said. “I thought that today was incredibly disappointing.”

It was the second time Reeve lamented the officiating after a Game 5 defeat. The first occasion came in 2016, when a shot clock violation was missed with roughly a minute to play that helped the Los Angeles Sparks edge the Lynx by a single point. That became the talking point after that contest. The same may occur here. NBA players like LeBron James and Damian Lillard were calling out the officials during Sunday’s bout, insinuating Minnesota was receiving the short end of the stick.

They’ll get no rebuttal from Reeve, who congratulated the Liberty on their title and complimented New York’s defensive effort, but couldn’t shake the feeling that Sunday’s result wasn’t just.

“We know we could’ve done some things (differently), but you shouldn’t have to overcome to that extent. This (stuff) ain’t that hard. Officiating, it’s not that hard,” Reeve said. “Be consistent. If you don’t want to call holding on one end, then don’t call it at the other. Be consistent. Every team asks for that. Sandy asked for that. Three of the games in this series, we’re talking about the same damn thing. I tell these guys that, for whatever reason, it didn’t work out, right? It just doesn’t feel right that you lose a series with that level of discrepancy. And we don’t have a team that whines and complains and all that stuff, and sometimes it probably hurts us.

“I just think that you have a star player like Phee, 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-thrpow line. That’s tough to swallow. Just like our 2016 championship that was lost – officiating. Missing shot clock violation. This sucks. This is for a championship for both teams. Let them decide it. What contact is legal should be the same for both teams. This isn’t that hard. And so it’s disappointing. Congruatlions to the Liberty on their first championship. … We were that close to our fifth, it just didn’t happen. It’s disappointing, incredibly disappointing. But these guys, they’ve got to try to pick themselves up and go, ‘We were that damn close.’ And it hurts, it hurts.”