Women's Fastbreak On SI

Cheryl Reeve Demands Officiating Overhaul After WNBA Finals Was 'Stolen From Us'

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve called out the suspect officiating her team suffered during their loss in the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

Grant Young

Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve talks to the media before game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve talks to the media before game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

With their 67-62 win over the Minnesota Lynx in overtime on Sunday, the New York Liberty are now the 2024 WNBA champions.

That's what the history books are going to say and what will ultimately be remembered. However, this win came with a whole lot of controversy late in the game.

Specifically, as it pertains to two seemingly missed calls by the referees that benefitted Breanna Stewart and the Liberty. Not only did the officials miss what seemed to be a clear travel call when Stewart received an inbound with a few seconds left in regulation, but they also awarded her a questionable foul call that ultimately sent the game into overtime.

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve challenged the foul call but it was upheld.

Reeve has a right to be upset about how this game was officiated down the stretch. And she made her feelings very clear during her postgame press conference.

"I thought today was incredibly disappointing," Reeve said of the officiating, per Robin Lundberg. "We have got to change our challenge rules, and 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."

She then went on to lament the uneven officiating between her star player Napheesa Collier compared to Breanna Stewart before adding, "When we challenged it, if we could have turned that clip in, they would have told us that it was marginal contact and no foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed.

"The three people who are [refereeing] the game need a third party to let them know because that decided the game."

Reeve later added, "I know all the headlines will be 'Reeve cries foul.' Bring it on. Because this s*** was stolen from us," per X user @cjzero.

Reeve certainly has a right to be extremely upset.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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