Breanna Stewart dropped two free throws with 10 seconds remaining in overtime and hammered the final nail in the coffin. And, the NY Liberty’s wait finally came to an end, as they won their first championship in franchise history after five failed attempts in the Finals. While the Big Apple fans celebrated the sweet win, some fans didn’t seem to like the way the game panned out. The disappointed fans even went on to term the league “rigged” following ref’s call for Stewart’s particular play.

At the end of the first half, the Liberty side barely looked like winning the game. The Minnesota Lynx, powered by Napheesa Collier, headed to the locker room with a seven-point lead. It seemed as if the Lynx would produce yet another upset, just like Game 1. However, the Liberty side had other plans, as they put up a commanding run in the third quarter, taking a three-point lead.

This is where the game got intense, as the fourth quarter turned into an evenly poised affair. The Lynx had the upper hand up until the last 5 seconds with a 2-point lead. However, Breanna Stewart came in as a guardian angel, dropping two clutch free throws to take the game into overtime(60-60). Here, it was all the NY side’s game, as the Lynx barely found any buckets in the overtime and, ironically, Stewart once again dropped two free throws at the end to seal the deal (67-62).

While it seemed like an intense sports drama flick, some found it fake. Especially after a viral video where the refs failed to call a traveling violation on Stewart’s crucial play in the fourth quarter. Let’s find out how the hoop nation reacted to it.

Fans call out WNBA Finals refs amid Breanna Stewart’s controversial play

Late in the second half, Stewart collected a pass from the arc and attempted to penetrate the Lynx defense near the free throw line. There wasn’t anything wrong with this play, but the star forward seemed to drag her foot twice without dribbling the ball. The refs called a shooting foul on the Lynx’s Alanna Smith instead for illegal guarding. The decision did not sit well with the spectators.

Moreover, the video clip of the play also went viral on social media, attracting a lot of reaction from fans. The immediate response to the situation was to call the refs rigged. A fan wrote, “This is one of the most rigged games I’ve ever seen in any sport ever.” Apparently, the Lynx challenged the call. The ref still ignored the traveling violation and offered two free throws to Stewart.

Another disappointed fan shared a similar opinion, but also had a positive touch with it. They wrote, “This shit is so, so rigged for Liberty to win it all. I’ll never watch another W game —unless Caitlin is playing, of course.” 

Above all, fans didn’t settle just for the travel violation, as they listed the controversial call throughout the game, as Lynx finished with 8 FT attempts to Liberty’s 25. A fan wrote, “The whole game has been sus.” Returning to the same play, a few sections of the fans believed that the Lynx didn’t deserve a foul for the last play, as a fan wrote, “And that was a good block. This is a set up. Bullshit.”

Nevertheless, another fan, in an attempt to lighten up the mood, wrote, “If New York wins, the refs are getting the MVP. This was a fix.” In reality, the NY side did win the game in OT and Jonquel Jones won the Finals MVP after bailing out struggling Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart. What do you make of the controversial play? Let us know in the comments.