It’s Only Fitting That This WNBA Finals Is Headed for Winner-Take-All Game 5

Through four back-and-forth games, it seems like neither the Lynx nor the Liberty are going to lose this series. The only losers may be the officials.

Williams and the Lynx hung on for a dramatic Game 4 win in Minnesota, forcing the WNBA Finals to go the distance. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It’s a shame, really, that after a season of record-breaking interest in the WNBA, nobody will win the championship. We know this because the WNBA Finals are four games old and it has become clear that nobody is going to lose. Not the Minnesota Lynx, and not the New York Liberty. This series will end with somebody hitting a ridiculous shot to force quattuordecuple overtime in Brooklyn Sunday night, at which point everybody will decide to just shake hands and go grab a drink.

It will be well-deserved. The Lynx beat the Liberty in Game 4, 82–80, and this might have been the best game of the Finals, unless it was the worst. This one featured 14 lead changes and 13 ties. The largest lead of the game was six points, which is ridiculous for a 40-minute basketball game, and this one was actually even longer than that: With 4:50 left, the Liberty lost a challenge, and when play resumed, the clock froze. Nobody seemed to notice.

When the clock operator rejoined the proceedings, the game was still tied at 72. From there, the Lynx showed the poise and stamina that was missing in Game 3. Courtney Williams found Alanna Smith for a layup. Napheesa Collier, who played the entire game, found herself double-teamed in the post, and she kicked a pass out to Kayla McBride, who swung the ball to Bridget Carleton for a corner three.

The Lynx led by five. Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu could not make a shot. Naturally, the Liberty came back and tied it at 80. Williams missed a jumper, but Carleton grabbed the rebound, Ionescu fouled her, and two free throws later: Game 5.

Afterward, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello blamed herself for not yelling for a timeout loud enough in the final minute, and she blamed the refs for a lot more than that:

“I know Cheryl [Reeve] talked about it last time, but we got no calls today. So do I need to talk up in a press conference? Because they were getting ticky tacks, and we went down there then got hit and get nothing … All we want is fair. I'm one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair!”

Working the refs is, of course, a long basketball tradition, going back to when James Naismith put up the first peach basket and immediately claimed he got fouled. Every long playoff series features some griping. But Brondello’s complaints were especially amusing because public anger really is not her style, and no matter how pissed off the Aussie is, she sounds like she just finished her swimming prelim and is bloody stoked for the final.

Asked about Brondello’s comments, Reeve said: “I didn't get a response from the league. I have a text to prove it. I think Phee has some [marks on her body] to prove that the fouls weren't called. That's unfortunate, you know? I guess I don't really have much more than that.”

Strangely, even though every game has been extremely close and plagued with dubious officiating, every game has produced the distinct feeling that the more deserving team won. This was definitely the case in Game 4. Stewart and Ionescu combined for 21 points on 36 shots. The officiating has been a problem all series—both teams have legitimate complaints—but if the final buzzer sounds and your stars would not have beaten anyone on the other side in a game of H-O-R-S-E, you were probably not the better team.

“We all could have done better, including me getting that f---ing time out,” Brondello said. “Sorry, shouldn't say that. Don't repeat it.”

I wouldn’t dare. It is worth noting here that when Brondello complained about the refs, Stewart looked like she was stewing in solidarity, and Jonquel Jones patted Brondello on the shoulder. And when somebody told Collier that her coach at UConn, Geno Auriemma, had said he wanted former Huskie Stewart to score 50 in Game 4, Collier responded: “It sounds like he's rooting for them. He didn't text that to me.”

Reeve laughed and said: “I love it.”

Whether Auriemma actually said this about Stewart is not clear. Emotions are hot, patience is frayed, and these teams know each other so well by this point that before they fly to New York on Saturday, they can pack each other’s suitcases. Reeve said this game was probably so close because of “information gathered in the [first] three games. Everything's getting harder. Yeah. There's no secrets at this point.” All we know for sure is that Game 5 is at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday in Brooklyn. Congrats to nobody for winning it.