By Rob Andrew Lo

Copyright sportskeeda

NBC Sports analyst Natalie Esquire has expressed her disbelief after the WNBA suspended Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. The embattled head coach was slapped with a one-game suspension in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury for her outrage during Game 3, which the Lynx lost, 84-76. In her X post on Saturday, Esquire disagreed with the league’s decision, saying that she did not physically hurt anyone on the court. For her, the WNBA should have just given her a hefty fine for her acts. “You’re not convincing me suspending a head coach in an elimination game is the right call,” Esquire said. “Yes, I understand the totality, but still wouldn’t have suspended her. No one was actually hurt. She didn’t physically assault a ref. A big fine that she will feel does the trick imo.”The Game 3 result put the Lynx at a 2-1 disadvantage in the series. A win for the Mercury in Game 4 would propel the Mercury to the WNBA Finals.According to the WNBA’s statement, Reeve was suspended due to her “conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner.”Reeve was thrown out with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, following a steal by Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas. Reeve felt that there should have been a foul in the play, as it also saw Lynx’s Napheesa Collier tweak her ankle. Cheryl Reeve calls for a leadership change in the league following Game 3 lossCheryl Reeve went on to have a heated press conference after Game 3, calling out the league for appointing the officials for the WNBA semifinals. “If this is what the league wants, okay,” she said. “But I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinal-playoff worthy, it’s f**king malpractice.”The Lynx topped the standings during the regular season with a 34-10 record. Game 4 of the series will happen at the PHX Arena, Mercury’s homecourt, on Sunday, Sept. 28.