“It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this,” Lync coach Cheryl Reeve lamented yesterday. After Minnesota lost a close 67-62 decisive game 5 to New York at Barclays Center, Reeve was livid that the series was ‘stolen’ from them. Stating that the W officials played a big hand, the head coach is calling for a change in how the game is refereed.

After the Liberty lifted their trophy, Reeve and Co. sat down for a post-game press conference. When a reporter asked what the head coach thought of the last half of the game where the Lynx were unable to shake off the Liberty’s offense, Reeve said, “I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team. We know this from being part of the game for so long, that sometimes you get away with stuff when you’re physical and aggressive and they certainly did.”

But then, she got to the matter at hand: “It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this. Obviously, there’s always going to be a team that’s going to be a little more disappointed than the other. I thought today was incredibly disappointing.” Reeve continued, “The challenge, we have got to change our challenge rules. And the officials doing the game should have a third party. Because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge”, her main issue being the refs seemingly siding with the home team.

If the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert were to bring in more parties to the hardcourt, it would mean spending more when the league is just beginning to blossom like the NBA. The average salary of WNBA officials, per Techopedia, ranges from $425 a game up to $180,000 a year – a much lower number than their NBA counterparts, where one senior official earned $550,000 last year, as per Boardroom. The numbers are worse in the W, whether it’s players or officials, but Reeve wants a structural change in how the game is judged from the sidelines.

The HC referenced a pivotal moment in the fourth quarter with 6 seconds left on the clock that changed the flow of the game. Breanna Stewart drew a foul on a midrange jumper and hit both her free throws, matching the score with the Lynx and sending the game into overtime. When Reeve challenged the call against Alanna Smith as minimal, the call was not overturned. And the 2024 Coach of the Year is not over it.

“At the other end when they challenged it, if we would have turned that clip in, they would have told us that this was marginal contact, no foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed. So, when you review, there should be the same parameters that you’re reviewing with, but the three people on the game need a fourth party to let them know. Because that decided the game.”

And it did make the game – if the call had been overturned, the Liberty would have been hard pushed to gain on the leading Lynx so far into the game and would likely not have won their first championship. While Reeve recognized that many might call out her comments, she remained firm in her statement.

Cheryl Reeve recognizes her comments may be perceived as a case of sour grapes: “Bring it on!”

As the veteran coach said, one side will come out more disappointed than the other. And she might have appreciated the Liberty winning had it been done by any other way than as a consequence of that foul. But she did not back down in the press conference from giving her team their due where it was deserved. “All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on, right?” Reeve said. “Bring it on, because this s*** was stolen from us. Bring it on,” she challenged the room.

Where the Liberty won their first Finals trophy after 28 years of being an original franchise, the Lynx could have made history of their own by becoming the only W team to have five championships. This loss will hurt for a long time, especially with the defeat fresh in their minds. But whatever the narrative around them says, as Reeve declared, bring it on.