Bitter Cheryl Reeve blames refs for WNBA Finals loss to Liberty in wild rant: ‘S–t was stolen from us’

The Minnesota Lynx missed 44 of their 70 shots in a championship-deciding WNBA Finals Game 5 loss to the Liberty .

When their head coach Cheryl Reeve sat down to the microphone for a bitter postgame press conference on Sunday night, she didn’t miss any.

“All the headlines will be Reeve cries foul,” she said. “Bring it on. Because this s–t was stolen from us. Bring it on.”

Reeve had begun the session complaining about the officiating.

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“Sometimes you get away with stuff when you’re physical and aggressive, and they certainly did,” Reeve said. “It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this.”

She later expanded.

“We know we could have done some things, but you shouldn’t have to overcome [the officiating] to that extent,” Reeve said. “This s–t ain’t that hard. Officiating? It’s not that hard. When someone is being held, be consistent. If you don’t want to call it on one end, then don’t call it on the other. …

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“You have a star player like Phee [the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier]. I don’t get it. I don’t get how she can be held and go to the basket and get hit, and then a marginal [foul] at best, at best, sends their best player [Breanna Stewart] to the free-throw line.”

The Liberty attempted 25 free throws on the night, including two by Stewart to tie the game with five seconds left in regulation after a controversial foul call on Alanna Smith (the Lynx were whistled for 21 personal fouls, with Collier fouling out in overtime). The Lynx shot just eight free throws (the Liberty were called for 17 fouls).

Reeve finished on a sarcastic note: “Congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship. It took them 28 years, congrats to them. We were that close to our fifth.”

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Reeve had complained after the Liberty’s Game 3 win about what she said was a favorable whistle for Stewart as compared to Collier. After Minnesota’s two-point win in Game 4, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello returned the favor, calling for the officials to be “fair” after the Lynx had a 20-9 advantage in free throws.

After Game 5, Reeve also took swipes at the Liberty’s previous WNBA sanction for impermissible charter flights as well as the ongoing investigation into possible salary-cap violations by the 2022 and 2023 champion Las Vegas Aces.

“Built a team within the rules,” Reeve said of her Lynx. “Those sort of things that maybe right now aren’t happening in our league. And did it the hard way. We gave hope to those teams that aren’t willing to circumvent the cap or fly illegally or all the stuff that’s happened over the last five years, right? And so, I mean, do it the right way.”

Brondello declined to engage when it was her turn at the podium.

“I thought they were pretty fair,” Brondello said of the refs. “But look, I have so much respect for Cheryl and I have so much respect for that Minnesota Lynx team because, man, that was ugly, but we found a way to win.”

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