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Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve got into a heated altercation and was ejected during the team’s Game 3 loss against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Reeve received her second technical foul in the final minute of the Lynx’s 84-76 defeat. She was irate after Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas went across Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s body for the steal and then dribbled the length of the court for the game-sealing lay-up.
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The longtime WNBA head coach was fuming as Collier was down on the floor in pain. Reeve got into the face of an official and Lynx guard Courtney Williams and other assistants had to hold her back.
Instead of taking questions about the game, Reeve went on a two-minute rant about the league’s officiating. The WNBA’s inconsistent officiating had been topic du jour for players and coaches throughout the season.
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“If this is what the league wants, OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating,” Reeve said, via ESPN. “The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinal-playoff worthy, it’s f—ing malpractice.”
Reeve said Collier “probably has a leg fracture,” though she nor the team elaborated on her status. She was upset Collier had no free throws in the game, five fouls and finished it “with her leg being taken out.”
Phoenix took a 2-1 series lead with the win.
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon was also upset with how her series against the Indiana Fever was being officiated. She said after Game 2 that the physicality of the playoffs was “out of control.”
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“The physicality’s out of control for sure,” Hammon said. “You can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court. You put two hands on somebody, it should be an automatic foul. The freedom of movement? There’s no freedom. I’m not saying we’re not fouling, too. I’m not saying that. I’m saying it’s out of control.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.