We’re heading to Brooklyn for Game 5. After Game 4 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, the score is tied once again. The Lynx handed the Liberty an 82-80 defeat in a close game. Both teams fought hard, but it wasn’t just the players on the court who grabbed attention.

Instead, Liberty’s head coach, Sandy Brondello, found herself in the spotlight. According to a post on X by Alexa Philippou, Brondello was “the most animated I’ve ever seen in some time.” Feeling there was a “disparity” in calls favoring the opposing team, Brondello dropped a couple of “blo-dy mentions and an F-bomb” when talking about fouls.

It all unfolded when the game was closely contested, with pressure mounting on both ends. When the score was tied at 80-80, Minnesota Lynx standout Courtney Williams took a midrange jumper in the final five seconds of the game—and missed. However, her teammate Bridget Carleton had her back, immediately fighting for the rebound.

As Carleton went up for a put-back basket, the referees called a foul on Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu. Carleton then sank her two free throws, giving the Lynx a crucial edge in the waning moments and sending the series back to Brooklyn for a winner-take-all Game 5. But how did Ionescu get involved?

Well, she did make contact with Carleton

Ionescu was called for a foul in a pivotal moment, which led to coach Sandy Brondello fuming over the referees deciding the fate of the game. While it may have seemed vague at first glance, Brondello certainly had a point. “I will say this—I know Cheryl said it last time, but we got no calls today,” she said in the post-game conference.

According to Brondello, she was “trying to call a timeout” but the referees didn’t hear her. “Do I have to speak up in a press conference? They called ticky-tack fouls, and we were down there getting hit and got nothing… I’m one of the nicest bl–dy coaches in the league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair, you know? If they’re getting hit, it’s a bl–dy foul,” she added.

In Game 4, the Liberty had 16 turnovers with 14 fouls, while the Lynx had nine fouls with 13 turnovers. This led to Brondello alluding to Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who had complained about uneven foul calls during Game 3.

Well, this is not where Liberty’s head coach concluded. After slamming refs, she did accept that Liberty “could have done better” including herself getting a “F–king Timeout”. Regardless of what happened, both coaches will now lead their teams into the final showdown on October 20th. Stay tuned!