Cheryl Reeve went scored earth on the officiating crew overseeing Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, and she did not hold back.
The Liberty-Lynx series had been incredibly tight throughout the Finals. The margin of victory was tiny — less than five points in multiple games — and every basket and foul call counted. Late in Game 5, the Lynx were seemingly on the verge of locking up the franchise’s fifth championship when two fouls were called on the Lynx.
After the first foul, Breanna Stewart missed both free throws, which should have seemingly iced the matchup. But the second foul, called with just under four seconds left, sent Stewie to the line. She nailed both free throws, and the Lynx couldn’t get a shot to fall afterward, sending the game into overtime. That typically isn’t a huge deal until you see the play was called a foul.
Stewie got away with a super obvious travel on the inbound#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/tCttai5pfx
— Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) October 21, 2024
As you can see, Stewie seemingly traveled before the foul. But that isn’t what caused an uproar. Many people, including LeBron James, quickly pointed out that the call wasn’t a foul at all. (Warning: NSFW language.)
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 21, 2024
Cheryl Reeve also thought the foul call was awful and challenged it in-game, but it was unsuccessful. As a result, she went IN on the refs during a fiery postgame presser. Here’s part of what she said:
“The officials, during the game, should have a third party because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge. If we sent that clip in … they would have told us that it was marginal contact. No foul. Guaranteed … that decided the game.”
Cheryl Reeve on the final call of regulation pic.twitter.com/V55IwbowKJ
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) October 21, 2024
But that wasn’t all Cheryl had to say. She acknowledged that the headlines would discuss her rant before adding, “This [expletive] was stolen from us.” (Warning: NSFW language.)
"I know all the headlines will be 'Reeve cries fouls.' Bring it on. Right? Bring it on. Because this was stolen from us. Bring it on" -Cheryl Reeves on the Lynx losing Game 5pic.twitter.com/y3pkX7bAUs
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 21, 2024
