NEW YORK – Cheryl Reeve dropped a truth bomb on the WNBA Sunday night.
Souhan: What should we think about Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s postgame rant?
After losing the deciding game of the WNBA Finals, Reeve was frustrated over officiating in the game.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 21, 2024 at 6:00PM
Or was it a stink bomb?
Or are they the same?
The Lynx’s legendary head coach ranted and raged against the league’s officials and other teams after the New York Liberty won Game 5 of the WNBA Finals 67-62 in overtime, costing Reeve and her franchise a fifth championship, as well as what would have been their most improbable.
Was she right or wrong? Rude or honest? Wild-eyed or calculating?
Yes. Yes, she was.
Here are eight ways to describe her diatribe that will not be forgotten, especially by league and Liberty employees:
Honest: Most coaches veer toward clichés and hints when upset. Reeve opens a vein. When she complained about bad officiating, a faulty replay system, other teams “circumventing” the salary cap and taking private flights when they should not have, she was telling you what she really felt, and what those around her have been hearing for years.
Rude: She also chose one of the peak moments in league history to pour prune juice in the Moët. She staged an attack on a league that, minutes earlier, had celebrated one of its best and highest-attended Finals ever, in America’s biggest city.
Calculating: Reeve knew she was speaking to the largest audience she may ever have, in terms of national media, social media and league officials.
Out of control: Reeve’s tone of voice suggested that she wasn’t painstakingly building a case. She was venting.
On point: Reeve was right about the officiating. Her star, Napheesa Collier, took 23 shots, mostly operating in the paint against larger players, and she went to the free-throw line zero times. Collier, who has never been known to complain publicly, said she was frequently held. Liberty star Breanna Stewart clearly traveled, taking four or five steps, on the play that Reeve reviewed.
Reeve didn’t believe that Lynx post Alanna Smith fouled Stewart on her ensuing shot. She’s probably right, but the travel was much more of a clear mistake than the foul call, because Smith’s arm did come down near Stewart’s arms, and that motion often draws a foul call whether warranted or not. Reeve has told me in the past that the key to not fouling is to not look like you’re fouling because, in calmer moments, she’s happy to acknowledge that officials have tough jobs and can go only by what they see.
Dangerous: Reeve unleashed similar complaints about league officials after her team lost in the 2016 Finals. Do such complaints precipitate the desired effect, or ensure that her team will receive similar treatment in the future? Officials are human, and she just attempted to embarrass them.
Off point: While Reeve was right about everything she said, she also paused for a moment to admit that her “lead guard play” wasn’t very good. Officials missing calls is baked into the game of basketball. The Lynx may have lost because of officiating. They definitely lost because lead guard Courtney Williams, one of their most valuable players, went 2-for-14 from the field, with five turnovers. And the Lynx, who led the league in three-point shooting percentage in the regular season, went 3-of-19 from the three-point line. The Lynx also committed 16 turnovers.
If the Lynx had played to their offensive capabilities, they would have won, going away, in regulation, and Stewart’s uncalled travel would not have mattered. And in overtime the Lynx were 0-for-6 on field goals and had five turnovers, scoring only two free throws.
Remember, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, another WNBA veteran, thought her team should have received calls that would have won Game 1 and/or Game 4 and ended the series before Game 5 occurred.
Revealing: At this level, sports are largely about money, about billionaire owners investing in billion-dollar franchises while trying to make their next billion.
Reeve’s Rant, though, had nothing to do with greed and everything to do with the kind of passion and intensity that makes sport worthwhile.
If there is a kind way to view Reeve’s Rant, it is through this lens: She left no doubt that all she cared about was winning, for her players and her franchise. In that way, her diatribe revealed the essence of sport.
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers’ three power play goals against the Irish.
