
The Minnesota Lynx were eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs after the Phoenix Mercury beat them 86-81 on Sunday. The team was unable to sustain its initial victory, and Nate Tibbetts’ squad sealed its spot in the Finals with a comeback win.
Without Napheesa Collier and head coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended by the league, the game became an uphill battle. But it was before Game 4 that the head coach received the backing of two colleagues.
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White and Hammon showed their support for Reeve
With less than 30 seconds left in Game 3, Napheesa had control of the ball, but Alyssa Thomas of the Mercury stole it and scored a layup as Collier fell to the ground in obvious pain in her ankle.
This enraged Cheryl, who stormed onto the court, furious with the referees for what she believed was an undetected foul. But Reeve had already received a technical foul at the start of the game, her anger earned her another penalty and a subsequent ejection. In addition, the WNBA suspended her for one game, so she was unable to attend the Lynx’s final playoff game.
The truth is that refereeing is an issue that players, coaches, and fans alike have spoken out against, citing various decisions or the lack thereof. Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White is well aware of this, having made no secret of her dissatisfaction with refereeing this season. For this reason, when asked about her counterpart’s situation, she did not hesitate to support Reeve:
“I think she made a lot of valid points… I think at some point there has to be some accountability,” the Indiana Fever coach said via ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. “Every part of our league has gotten better, and [officiating] has lagged behind, for whatever reason. Oftentimes it’s infrastructure… we all know that when you are trying to invest in an area of business or of sport or whatever, it comes down to resources,” she concluded.
In addition, the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces came to Cheryl’s defense and, although she was more succinct than White, she did not hide her support: “From what I heard, she did not tell a lie. She said the truth,” declared Becky Hammon .
Meanwhile, these two coaches will face each other in Game 5 of the playoffs. The game between the Fever and the Aces will take place at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 30, and the winning team will face the Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-seven series.
This news was originally published on this post .
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