Oct. 21 (UPI) — Coach Cheryl Reeve took aim at referees after the Minnesota Lynx lost to the New York Liberty in the final game of the 2024 WNBA Finals, saying that the crown was “stolen” from her players.
Reeve made the comments at her postgame news conference Sunday in Brooklyn. The Lynx held a 12-point lead before losing 67-62 in overtime at Barclays Center.
The Lynx were called for 21 fouls, compared to the Liberty’s 17. The Liberty shot 25 free throws, while the Lynx attempted eight.
“All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul,'” Reeve said. “Bring it on. Bring it on. Because this [expletive] was stolen from us. Bring it on.”
Reeve specifically mentioned a foul call on center Alanna Smith with 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation. The call sent Liberty forward Breanna Stewart to the line. Stewart made two free throws to tie the score and force overtime.
“I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team,” Reeve said. “We know this from being a part of the games for so long that sometimes you get away with this 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.”
Reeve said she thought the officiating “was incredibly disappointing.” Lynx star Napheesa Collier said she felt like she was “getting held a little bit.” Collier scored a game-high 22 points, but did not attempt a free throw.
“It just doesn’t feel right that you lose a series with that level of discrepancy,” Reeve said. “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 [call], at best, at best, sends their best player to the free throw line.
“I mean, that’s tough. It’s tough to swallow.”
The Lynx and Liberty made just 37.1% and 30.6% of their respective shot attempts. They combined to make just five of 42 three-point attempts. The Lynx went 0 for 6 on field goal attempts in overtime.
