Copyright yardbarker
It’s hard to get Aces coach Becky Hammon and Lynx boss Cheryl Reeve to agree on something. I mean, they absolutely did not see eye to eye when it came to the MVP debate or the Defensive Player of the Year. After Allanna Smith and A’ja Wilson were crowned Co-defensive players of the year, Hammon took a subtle jab at Reeve and Smith. “A white-tailed deer looks really good until an elk walks in the room,” she said, suggesting that Wilson is the elk and Smith is the white-tailed deer in this metaphor. However, the two coaches might just form an unlikely duo against the league in their battle against physicality and the miserable officiating. As Lynx faced the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of their semifinals, it was the same as almost every postseason game: very physical. By the end, Reeve couldn’t take it anymore. With under 22 seconds remaining in Game 3 against the Phoenix Mercury, after a no-call when Napheesa Collier hit the floor hard, Reeve went off on the officials, getting in their face while being held back by Natisha Hiedeman and her support staff. Reeve already had a technical from the second quarter, where Collier was the victim of multiple fouls. Then rushing on the court meant immediate rejection, and Cheryl Reeve went hot-headed to the post-match conference. Instead of immediately taking questions, Reeve let go of an almost 2-minute rant that included a call for a change in the leadership itself. “How dangerous it can be, you hearing and from the other series, you’re hearing other coaches because you hear and you talk about when you let the physicality happen. People get hurt, there’s fights, and this is the look that our elite wants. For some reason, we were trying to play through it. We tried to make excuses. One of the best players in the league is on us had zero free throws, zero free throws. Her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out, and probably has a fracture, and so this is what our elites want. Okay, but I want to call for a change. Leadership at the elite level, when it comes to officiating, it’s bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy is f****** malpractice.” Reeve said. Both Hammon and Stephanie White have already complained about the referees after their 41-foul game. For Reeve, though, this one was much harsher, as this injury might mean the end of the road for Collier, who was seen crying as she was helped to the locker room. Reeve continued, “I don’t think we should have to play through more than what they did.”
