The New York Liberty pulled off an overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx to secure the franchise's first WNBA championship. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wasn't happy with a controversial call late into the game which dramatically impacted the results.
After Alanna Smith was whistled for a foul on Breanna Stewart with just a few seconds remaining in regulation, Minnesota challenged the call but it was ultimately upheld. Stewart proceeded to tie the game from the charity stripe, forcing overtime where the Liberty would eventually pull away for a 67-62 victory.
Reeve was irate over the officials' decision to uphold the foul call, going as far as to say that the officials robbed the Lynx of a title.
"I know all the headlines will be 'Reeve cries foul.' Bring it on. Because the s--- was stolen from us," said Reeve to reporters during her postgame media address, via Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
She elaborated further, suggesting that referees in the arena should have a third party in order to identify potential officiating mistakes.
Cheryl Reeve on the final call of regulation pic.twitter.com/V55IwbowKJ
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) October 21, 2024
"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," said Reeve.
Reeve wasn't the only one upset with the decision from officials. Even LeBron James weighed in on social media to air his thoughts on the late foul call, urging the referees to let the two sides play, rather than blow the whistle during such a pivotal moment.
Reeve couldn't hide her frustrations in the aftermath of the heartbreaking overtime loss, and she made clear that she felt that officials made a mess of the situation by sending Stewart to the free throw line even after a review.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cheryl Reeve Claims WNBA Finals Was 'Stolen' From Lynx After Controversial Late Foul.
