NEW YORK — Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the 2024 WNBA title was “stolen” from her team because of what she called an “incredibly disappointing” 67-62 overtime loss Sunday to the New York Liberty in the deciding Game 5 of the league. finals.
Reeve was particularly upset by a foul call on Lynx center Alanna Smith with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. After missing a pair of foul shots a few times earlier, Breanna Stewart, the 2023 WNBA Player of the Year, drove to the free throw line and made two attempts for New York to tie the score, effectively sending the game into overtime.
“All the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul’.” Bring it.” Reeve said. “Bring it. Because this—was stolen from us. Bring it.”
Lynx challenged the invitation, but it was upheld. Reeve said after the game that a third party should be involved in reviewing the challenges.
“On the other hand, when they objected to that, if we had turned over that clip, they would have told us that was a marginal call, not a mistake. Guaranteed. Guaranteed,” Reeve said. “So, when you’re reviewing, there should be the same parameters that you’re reviewing by, but the three people in the game need a fourth party to let them know. Because that’s what decided the game.”
Reeve initially brought up her issues with management at the beginning of Minnesota’s postgame press conference when she was asked about her offense’s lack of production in the second half.
“I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team,” Reeve said. “We know that from being part of games for so long that sometimes you get away with these things when you’re physical and aggressive, and they certainly did. It’s a shame the officiating has such a hand in a series like this.”
The Liberty shot 23 free throws to the Lynx’s 6. There were 19 foul shots in Minnesota and 12 in New York.
“These guys shot 30% [from the floor]. “He shot 30%,” Reeve said of Liberty. “The difference was on the foul line.”
Minnesota star Navisa Collier, who finished with 22 points, didn’t get to the free throw line in Game 5. Entering Sunday’s contest, Collier — who went 11-for-23 from the floor in Game 5 — had never had 20 field goal attempts without attempting a single free throw in her career.
“I got caught a little bit. It was a little hard to shoot,” said Collier, who fouled out with 13.0 seconds left in overtime.
Reeve explained her concerns.
“It is not right to lose a series with this level of inconsistency,” she said. “We don’t have a team that whines and complains and all that stuff. Sometimes, maybe it hurts us. Maybe it’s a little more, I don’t know, something. But you have a star player like Fay who — I don’t get it, I don’t understand how you can carry it.” And going to the basket and getting hit, and then a marginal player, at best, sending his best player to the free throw line, that’s tough.
Asked to respond to Reeve’s comments, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of the officials: “I thought they were very fair.”
“The last game, that’s where you get give and take. In Game No. 1, we should have won that game,” Brondello said. “I have a lot of respect for Cheryl, and I have a lot of respect for the Minnesota Lynx, because that was ugly, man.
“But we found a way to win. I’m really proud of our team, how resilient we are, how tight-lipped we are and how we continue to trust each other. That was our word today: Just trust the process. We found a solution.” Way to win.”
Both coaches previously criticized officiating in the series, with Reeve pointing out how Collier managed differently than Stewart after Game 3 and Brondello pointing out the poor call discrepancy after Game 4 when the Liberty shot nine free throws to the Lynx’s 20.
“It’s not that hard,” Reeve said. “When someone is held, be consistent. If you don’t want to call it a hold on one end, don’t call it a hold on the 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 Same damn thing.”
Games 1, 3 and 4 were incredibly close until the end, with each being decided by two or three points. This Finals series was the first to contain multiple games that went to overtime, and Sunday marked the first time a winner-take-all Finals Game 5 went to OT.
Reflecting on the season, Reeve credited her team with “[doing] things the right way. [We] We built the team within the rules… We gave hope to those teams that didn’t want to circumvent the cap or fly illegally or all the things that happened over the last five years.
New York was previously fined $500,000 for illegally chartering flights in the 2021 season. The Las Vegas Aces’ 2025 first-round pick was voided for violating league rules regarding impermissible player benefits, and the franchise is being investigated by the league for trades Sponsorship concluded by its players with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Reeve – a four-time champion as coach of the Lynx (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017) – said the result was “bad” and compared it to the 2016 Minnesota Finals, which she said was “lost during arbitration,” referring to a missed shot clock violation with 1:12 remaining in the game. Fifth.
“This is a championship for both teams,” Reeve said. “Let them decide that. What the legal connection is should be the same for both teams. It’s not that difficult. So, it’s disappointing. I mean, congratulations to the Liberty team on their first championship… it’s taken 28 years. Congratulations to them, it’s “We were very close to fifth place, but it didn’t happen.”
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