NEW YORK – The 2024 WNBA Finals were some of the memorable series in league history. Even as they competed, the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty players recognized the fantastic thing about their competition and what an incredible commercial it was in a season that brought record viewership and excitement to the league.
But the finale also put a highlight on the WNBA's officiating. The performance of the referees didn’t match the extent of the players and thereby affected the league's product.
“It's a shame that officiating played such a role in a series like this,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after the 67-62 additional time loss to the Liberty. “Of course there will always be a team that will be a little more disappointed than the other. I found today incredibly disappointing.”
“That (expletive) isn’t that hard,” she added. “Officers, it’s not that hard.”
The conversation about a vital game featuring two of the very best players on the earth, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, must have focused on basketball. Instead, indignant reactions to the referee's behavior and suggestions of conspiracies in favor of the team dominated the larger media market with the more popular star.
Much of the Lynx's wrath was centered on a call late in regulation when Alanna Smith was whistled for a foul on Stewart with 5.2 seconds left that gave the impression to be a rim contact. The decision stood after a foul, although Stewart had clearly traveled before the foul, and Reeve asserted that the choice wouldn’t have come about had a replay center outside the constructing been assigned to review the decision.
Breanna Stewart just traveled around the globe on this piece 😭😭😭#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/pK2YlNWRNV
— 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅🖤💫 (@DaviddLovesSosa) October 21, 2024
There were also several instances where Collier was hit or wrapped up on the rim before receiving an entry pass that was disallowed. In the center of additional time, Leonie Fiebich had her arm wrapped around Collier, in order that Collier could not catch a pass from Natisha Hiedeman and a Lynx turnover occurred as a substitute of a foul on Fiebich. Collier attempted 18 field goals in the sport and didn’t attempt a single free throw. She had never made greater than 11 field goals without reaching the foul line. She ended up being fouled in additional time.
During regulation time, before Minnesota needed to commit a foul to increase the sport into the additional time session, the foul disparity against the away team was 19-12. Reeve even went thus far as to say the sport was “stolen” by the Lynx.
Just before this video begins, Coach Cheryl Reeve says, “This was stolen from us.” pic.twitter.com/8VanrfiXup
— Zena Keita (@itszenakeita) October 21, 2024
This isn't the primary time Reeve has committed a foul within the postseason. She claims eight years later that Minnesota lost one other title in 2016 when the Sparks weren’t whistled at the top of Game 5 for a shot clock violation and Nneka Ogwumike managed to attain a game-winning basket in a one-point game fetch. But Reeves' repeated complaints don't mean she's unsuitable; Rather, she is correct that the WNBA has long had an issue with the standard of its officiating.
Three games in that series ended with coaches complaining about one-sided refereeing of their postgame comments. After Game 3, when Stewart made 10 free throws in comparison with 12 total for the Lynx, Reeve said: “The game is called different for Phee than it is for Stewie, for sure. You see the same level of activity and contact around the rim. For some reason we have a hard time getting to the foul line in this series.”
New York coach Sandy Brondello responded in Game 4, when the Liberty lost the free throw battle 20-9, by saying, “I know Cheryl talked about this last time, but we didn't get any calls today. So do I have to speak in a press conference?”
“All we want is fair, OK. So if we get hit, it’s a foul,” Brondello added.
Before the finale, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the WNBA would conduct its usual review of referees, but still suggested that the general public deal with calls was more an indication of passion than a sign that immediate improvements were needed.
Still, the undeniable fact that the league's longest-serving coach publicly denigrates officials on the largest stage not once, but multiple times, is a warning sign.
Combine that with NBA stars like LeBron James and Damian Lillard speaking out on social media concerning the issue, with Lillard suggesting that the referees intentionally let New York back into the sport within the second half, the WNBA should do some introspection placed on display.
The refs called this play like they knew what to do within the second half, boy. Great game.
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) October 21, 2024
I'm sorry, but that wasn't a foul! Let the rattling players dictate the consequence of a hard-fought, tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
—Lebron James (@KingJames) October 21, 2024
The league has never been more watched than at this moment, and the perception of fairness is important to keeping fans engaged. They should consider that their team has a probability and never play as underdogs against a media darling.
Complaining about officials is a ritual for sports fans, so the undeniable fact that officiating is taking up a more distinguished role isn’t unusual. However, there may be a difference between fans feeling like their team has been cheated and the general quality of refereeing not being as much as par.
If three officials can't see that the ball has fallen off a player's foot – which is what happened with Stewart in Game 1 – and in order that they should call a jump ball, that's a failure. If a player is wrapped up and may't make a pass because she's being held, and that play known as a turnover, that's the fault of the referees.
There will at all times be decisions in basketball, and different referees allow different amounts of contact. That didn't occur in Game 5 or elsewhere within the Finals, and it’ll leave a blot on an otherwise incredible series.
When asked about Reeve's claim that the series was taken over from Minnesota, Brondello was undaunted, preferring to emphasise her team's ability to beat adversity. And New York's courage needs to be celebrated. It is a remarkable feat of perseverance and perseverance to get better from a 12-point deficit on an evening when their two stars were unable to hit the ocean from the beach.
It doesn't overshadow the undeniable fact that the Lynx were battling greater than just the Liberty. That's not fair to each teams. As the league becomes a bigger player within the national sports media landscape, it’s the league's duty to speculate more in its officials so that they’re ready for that highlight and responsibility. The players deserve higher than what they got in Game 5.
image credit : www.nytimes.com