Cheryl Reeve criticizes administration and says title was “stolen” from Lynx.

NEW YORK – Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the 2024 WNBA title was “stolen” from her team because of what she called “incredibly disappointing” in Sunday's 67-62 overtime loss to the New York Liberty in the deciding Game 5 of the season “was the finale.

Reeve particularly caused offense with a foul on Lynx center Alanna Smith with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. After missing two foul shots a few games earlier, 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart went to the free throw line and scored both attempts for New York to tie the score, effectively sending the game into overtime.

“All the headlines will be, 'Reeve has a bad cry.' Bring it on.” Reeve said. “Go ahead. Because this shit was stolen from us. Go ahead.”

The Lynx disputed the call, but it was upheld. Reeve said after the game that a third party should be involved in considering the challenges.

“At the other end, when they challenged it, if we gave up the clip, they would have told us it was rim contact, not a foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed,” Reeve said. “So when you review, the same parameters should apply as when you review, but the three people involved in the game need a fourth party to let them know. Because that’s what decided the game.”

Reeve initially brought up her management issues early in the postgame press conference in Minnesota when she was asked about her offense's lack of productivity in the second half.

“I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team,” Reeve said. “We know that because we've been at the games for so long that sometimes if you're physical and aggressive you can get away with things like that, and they certainly did that. It's a shame that refereeing has played such a role in a series like this.”

The Liberty shot 23 free throws, while the Lynx shot 6. There were 19 fouls against Minnesota and 12 against New York.

“These guys shot 30% (from the floor). Shot 30%,” Reeve said of the Liberty. “The difference was on the foul line.”

Minnesota superstar Napheesa Collier, who finished with 22 points, didn't make it to the free throw line in Game 5. Entering Sunday's contest, Collier went 11 for 23 from the floor in Game 5 and had never scored 20 points without a single free throw attempt in her career.

“I was held a little bit. It was a little difficult to make shots,” said Collier, who was fouled with 13.0 seconds left in overtime.

Reeve elaborated on their concerns.

“It just doesn’t feel right to lose a series with this discrepancy,” she said. “We don’t have a team that whines and complains and all that stuff. Sometimes it probably hurts us. Maybe a little more, I don't know, anything. But you have a star player like Phee who just – I don't understand how she can be held, goes to the basket and gets hit, and then a marginal player at best, at best, sends her best player to the free throw line. That's hard. It's hard to swallow.

When asked to respond to Reeves' comments, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of the referees, “I thought they were pretty fair.”

“The last game is a give and take. Game No. 1, we should have won that game,” Brondello said. “I have so much respect for Cheryl and I have so much respect for the Minnesota Lynx team because, man, that was ugly.”

“But we found a way to win. I'm really proud of our team, how resilient we've been, how we've stuck together and how we continue to trust each other. That was our word today: just trust the process. We found a way to win.”

Both coaches previously criticized the refereeing in the series, with Reeve pointing out that Collier was officiated differently than Stewart after Game 3 and Brondello pointing out the disparity in fouls after Game 4, when the Liberty shot nine free throws to the Lynx's 20 .

“Officiating is not that hard,” Reeve said. “If someone is being held, be consistent. If you don't want to call it stalling on one side, don't call it stalling on the other side. Be consistent. Every team demands that. Sandy asked for the last game. “Three games in this series are about the same damn thing.”

Games 1, 3 and 4 were also incredibly close until the end and were each decided by two or three points. This Finals series was the first with multiple games going into overtime, and Sunday marked the first time a winner-take-all Finals Game 5 went into overtime.

Looking back on the season, Reeve praised her team for “doing things right. (We) built the team within the rules…We gave hope to the teams that weren't willing to go around the cap or fly illegally or all the things that have happened in the last five years.

New York was previously fined $500,000 for illegal charter flights during the 2021 season. The Las Vegas Aces had their 2025 first-round draft pick revoked for violating league rules regarding improper player benefits, and the league is investigating the franchise over sponsorship deals its players entered into with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Reeve – a four-time champion as coach of the Lynx (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017) – said the result was “crappy” and compared it to Minnesota's 2016 Finals run, which she said was “lost because of the management.” a miss clock violation with 1:12 left in Game 5.

“This is a championship for both teams,” Reeve said. “Let them decide. Which contact is legal should be the same for both teams. Congratulations to her. We were so close to our fifth place.