By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Moments after the New York Liberty won their first-ever Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) championship, their challengers, the Minnesota Lynx, felt that the title was ‘stolen’ from them following a late foul whistle that forced the game into overtime.
During their win-or-go-home Game 5 clash, Minnesota was only seconds away from reclaiming their spot as the queens of the sport but a surprising foul call was slapped on them when New York’s Breanna Stewart attempted for an aggressive drive to the basket.
In the fifth second mark of the final frame and the Liberty down by a deuce, the foul call enabled them to force overtime en route to a 67-62 victory for the golden trophy.
Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota’s head coach, didn’t think twice and vented all of her frustrations during the official post-game interview.
“It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this. I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on. Bring it on. Because the sh*t was stolen from us,” said Reeve.
In the video that circulated online, Minnesota’s Alanna Smith appeared to have an all-ball contest on Stewart’s drive, the reason why Reeve was fuming in disappointment.
Minnesota then struggled to buy a basket in the extension period, only cashing in a deuce compared to New York’s seven-point output in overtime.
In the entire game, the Liberty had a total of 25 free throw attempts, while Minnesota only earned four trips to the charity stripe.
The NBA world, including living legend LeBron James, reacted to the call and posted on his official X account that Smith didn’t deserve the foul call.
“I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game,” wrote James.
