Lynx Coach's Blunt Take on Finals Loss

The Minnesota Lynx lost Game 5 of the WNBA Finals to the Liberty, with their coach, Cheryl Reeve, having strong words during the postgame press conference. The Lynx missed many shots, but Reeve wasn't focused on that. Instead, she blamed the officials for the loss. "They stole this from us, " she said, referring to the referees. She thought the Liberty got away with being too physical and that the officiating wasn't fair. Reeve felt that the Lynx's star player, Napheesa Collier, wasn't treated fairly. She thought that Collier was held and hit, but the refs didn't call fouls. On the other hand, the Liberty's Breanna Stewart got many free throws, including two that tied the game late. The Liberty shot more free throws than the Lynx, which Reeve saw as unfair. Reeve also mentioned that the Lynx played by the rules and didn't cheat like other teams might have. She congratulated the Liberty on their first championship but was upset that the Lynx didn't win their fifth. The Liberty's coach, Sandy Brondello, thought the refs were fair and respected the Lynx's effort.