“It’s hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds,” Stephanie White said after the Fever’s Game 2 loss to the Aces in the semifinals. The head coach has been outspoken about officiating all season long, though by her standards, those remarks were mild compared to earlier critiques. Now, heading into Game 3, White further admitted she’s not at all eager to gamble with the fines that usually follow when you push too hard against the refs.
During the pre-game presser, Stephanie White was asked about what she expects regarding physicality. She replied, “I expect it to be exactly like it has been”. When asked if she had any words about the officiating, White, with a smile, said, “Are you trying to take my money? I’ve already given the league enough money. I think they take all those officiating fines and put it back into the program.”
White stayed true to her word. During Game 3, as the Indiana Fever led by 50-48 with 3:32 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the head coach jumped around to call a timeout for a challenge. The referees noticed her, but chose to ignore her for a 2nd time. However, White didn’t say a word about it in the post-game presser.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In fact, when asked about her timeout request being ignored, the HC said, “there’s a timeframe and you’re trying to look at multiple angles and, you know, from what I’m told, out of bounds plays are the hardest ones to call. So, you know, it’s, you want to make sure that it’s clear and conclusive if you’re going to challenge it.”
Stephanie White wasn’t fined for the “hard for us to find flow” comments she made about the officiating after Game 2. However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been fined in the past. Back in May, the head coach was fined “an undisclosed amount”, after the Indiana Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty. 4 days later, when asked about the officiating in the Fever’s 83-77 loss to the Washington Mystics, she joked, “Do you want me to get fined again? Because I did just get fined.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the end, White might have realized how strict the WNBA can allegedly be when it comes to criticism of referees. After all, it was only a few days ago when the coach’s star player, Caitlin Clark, was fined $200 for writing “Refs couldn’t stop us” and “Elite bench mob” on a Fever’s Instagram post after Game 2 against the Atlanta Dream.
Additionally, another of White’s players, Sophie Cunningham, revealed back in August, on her podcast, that the WNBA had fined her $1,500 for her comments about the league’s refs during her podcast’s premiere episode. In July, Cunningham was fined $500 after she put out a TikTok post lip-synching to Sabrina Carpenter’s song ‘Manchild’. It featured references to “some refs” being “stupid,” “slow” or “useless.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Therefore, Stephanie White does not wish to incur any additional losses to her net worth, which is estimated to be somewhere between $3 million and $5 million. Or, she simply might have other things preoccupying her mind. After all, Becky Hammon made it clear she found a way to get to the Fever coach and her squad in the upcoming games.
Becky Hammon Claims Missed Layup Will “Haunt” Stephanie White After Game 3
The Game 3 matchup was, for the most part, a back-and-forth for the entire first half. By halftime, the score was 35-34 in the Aces’ favor. The third quarter also remained competitive. However, the Aces then went on a 6-0 run right before the buzzer, and outscored them 25-16 in the 4th quarter.
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was asked about that gain in momentum. In response, she said, “I would definitely say there was a moment there where this place was rocking, and all the momentum was building up. [Indiana] giving up the layup in the last three seconds, that’s probably gonna haunt Steph [White]. Because it was more than that. It was just the momentum, took the air out of the building. So we know we need to make those plays. And kind of just breaking your spirit a little bit. However, it was the consecutive stops leading up to that that allows us to get the cushion. Again, for us, it’s all about the defense.”
The layup was just one part that made Fever’s future run worrisome. After all, during the game, the team finished just 13-of-21 from the free throw line for 62%. The same team that had averaged 77% in the regular season. Additionally, the Fever’s lead scorer, Kelsey Mitchell, wasn’t efficient on the shooting front. She shot 8-26 (30.8%) field goals, 3-11 (27.3%) 3-pointers, and 2-5 (40.0%) free throws. Taking the series to 2-1 gave the Aces confidence, and the lapses from the Indiana Fever made Hammon confident about her team’s chances.
“We aren’t looking for Game 5,” said the 48-year-old coach. “We want to come in, take care of business, have the appropriate mentality. Obviously, we are happy with the win, but we have to move on and do some things much better. And, I know my group understands that. We want to put together a good 40 (minutes of basketball).”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Do you still think the Indiana Fever has a fighting chance? Can we see another criticism from Stephanie White about the officiating in the coming days? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.