LeBron James appeared to agree with Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve's verdict on WNBA officials after a number of questionable decisions went against them in the WNBA championship finale.
The New York Liberty won its first-ever WNBA Championship after defeating the Lynx with a 67-62 overtime win in a close game throughout , with New York only gaining the lead in the dying moments of the game in regulation. In a physical game, the Liberty went to the free throw line to shoot 25 attempts. Meanwhile, the Lynx only had eight.
But it had been one play in particular that left fans, including NBA stars James, Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas furious with officials after awarding a foul to Breanna Stewart allowing her to shoot free throws to tie up the game and send it to overtime. Had it not been called, with many believing the referee's to have made a mistake, the Lynx would have been extremely likely to go on to win the game and the championship.
Instead, Stewart hitting the free throws saw the Liberty awarded the opportunity to go into overtime, where they claimed the win and their first-ever championship.
And while it was a monumental moment, it already appears to be sour in many minds, with James not holding back in his criticism of the officials.
James tweeted: "I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game," while Isaiah Thomas wrote: "They lowkey cheated for NY but I get it lol."
Meanwhile, Damian Lillard tweeted: "Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game."
Speaking after the defeat, the aforementioned Reeve had been incensed, claiming the officials stole the victory from them. She told reporters: "I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team. We know this from being a part of the game for so long that sometimes, you get away with stuff when you're playing physical and aggressive, and they certainly did. It's a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this.
"Obviously, there's always going to be a team that's a little bit disappointed. I thought today was incredibly disappointing. 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.
"But on the other end, when we challenged it, if we would have turned that clip in, they would have told us that it was marginal contact, no foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed. So when you review, those should be the same parameters that you're reviewing with.
"But the three people on the game need a third party to let them know because that decided the game. That decided the game." Reeve was aware that her scathing criticism of the officiating crew and the call to get a third party involved were likely to spark backlash – but it hardly stopped her from speaking her mind.
"All the headlines will read 'Reeve cries foul.' Bring it on," she said. "Bring it on. Because this s--- was stolen from us."
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