It’s safe to say that Napheesa Collier is not happy with the way the Lynx’s season ended on Sunday night.
The controversial foul call on Alanna Smith that sent Breanna Stewart to the free throw line and, eventually, allowed the Liberty to win in overtime has been the biggest talking point from Game 5 so far.
She posted a photo carousel of her journey with the Lynx this season. The last three photos were of three different foul calls, including the last one that did seem like it should’ve been a no-call.
The last three pictures Napheesa Collier posted on her IG after a tough Game 5 loss in the Finals 👀 😭 pic.twitter.com/kWzWOAngdy
The Liberty won the series and absolutely earned their championship — there’s no disputing that. But seeing things end the way they did certainly isn’t a great look for the WNBA’s officials. That’s the thing everyone is talking about today.
Just when you thought the spotlight on the officials and their controversial call might finally clear up, here comes Collier with this Instagram post. She ain’t letting up, folks.
It’s hard to blame her. Lose a game like that and you’ll probably never get over it. We’ll be talking about that last call for years to come.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate your time.
Your New York Liberty are WNBA champions for the first time in the franchise’s 28 years of existence, folks. The team finally reached the pinnacle of the sport.
Breanna Stewart is a champion for the third time in her WNBA career. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu both just won their first. JJ came away with the Finals MVP — rightfully so. She was the Liberty’s best player throughout this series that’d been filled with twists and turns for both sides through all five games.
Both teams played excellent ball all the way through. It was legitimately some of the most entertaining (though not the prettiest!) basketball I’ve seen.
That’s why it’s such a shame that the biggest story coming out of Game 5 was the officiating.
Now, look. Before I say anything else, there’s no debating that this championship was hard-earned by the Liberty. There’s no taking that from them and that’s not something I’d ever try to do.
The missed travel and foul call on the Liberty’s final offensive possession of regulation is at the center of the conversation. Alanna Smith being called for a foul here is particularly egregious, considering the physical tone set throughout the rest of the game.
This very clearly impacted the game. Had that final possession been officiated correctly, we’re probably talking about a different result here. And this isn’t a Game 1 or Game 2 we’re talking about here — it’s a Game 5. This was the pinnacle. The season was in the balance. When that’s the case, you always want the finish to be determined by the players.
Unfortunately, that’s just not what happened here. And that’s what’s driving the conversation today instead of how awesome the series was.
It doesn’t take away the Liberty’s championship — nothing can ever do that. Nobody should try. There’s no such thing as an asterisk next to a ring, folks.
But, as a neutral observer, seeing an awesome season end like that was more than a bit disappointing.
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Yet, I’m pretty sure it’s accurate. I don’t have the stats to back that up, but I’ve never met a Cowboys fan who wasn’t also a Yankees fan. And I’ve never met a Dodgers fan who cared enough about football in Los Angeles.
Ok. Enough roasting the ‘Boys. Let’s talk about this awesome World Series we’re about to get.
You rarely get the two best players in a league going head-to-head in a championship clash. It’s hard to make that happen. Think about all the times we missed a Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James NBA Finals.
We’re getting Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge, folks. And, hopefully, it’s everything we think it’ll be.
The stakes are high here for both sides.
— This is Ohtani’s very first playoff experience and he and the Dodgers have gone back to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 2020.
This is where we all thought we’d end up. These two teams have been the best in baseball for the entire season. Their battling for supremacy in the end feels right.
New York football stinks
. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Good thing the Liberty won a championship on Sunday because, otherwise, the Giants and Jets might still be getting roasted today.
The Giants only had 119 yards in total on Sunday when the Eagles came to New York. Saquon Barkley finished the game with 176 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Saquon Barkley > The New York Giants. That’s the guy they let walk out the door.
On the other hand, the Jets traded for Davante Adams last week. But, as it turns out, Davante Adams doesn’t play defense. So Russell Wilson and the Steelers hung up 37 points on New York after it traded for a receiver that was supposed to fix everything.
Sunday was not very good for Minnesota sports fans, and that was without the Wild or Twins even playing.
Sunday was not very good for Minnesota sports fans, and that was without the Wild or Twins even playing. They got to watch their undefeated Minnesota Vikings face off against division rival Detroit Lions and had the Minnesota Lynx playing in game five for the WNBA title.
Much to their chagrin, neither team is waking up on Monday with a smile on their face.
The Vikings’ loss comes at a much less pivotal point than that of the Lynx. The Vikings lost their undefeated record, yes, but they have an entire season and, hopefully, playoffs ahead of them. The sting will wash away much quicker than that of the Lynx.
The Minnesota Lynx shocked the world and forced a game five against the favorite New York Liberty for the WNBA title. A very controversial call at the end of the game has fans up in arms. They will have an entire offseason to let their loss sting and affect them.
For Minnesota sports fans, it is on to the next one as they play the Rams in primetime on Thursday against the Rams.
Courtney Williams didn’t have her best performance during Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, and the New York Liberty made sure she knew it after they won a championship.
During a halftime interview of Game 4 in Minneapolis Friday, Courtney, who was having a stellar game, told Holly Rowe that she was in her bag. Williams hilariously explained, “I’m in a Birkin right now. So, I gotta make sure I don’t drop down to like a Target bag. I gotta stay in my Birkin.”
Unfortunately, she DID NOT stay in her Birkin on Sunday when the series shifted back to Brooklyn. Williams had just four points and shot 14 percent from the field. Postgame, someone masterfully left a bag with “Birkin” written on it and a Target bag on the Liberty’s midcourt logo.
Cheryl Reeve went scored earth on the officiating crew overseeing Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, and she did not hold back.
The Liberty-Lynx series had been incredibly tight throughout the Finals. The margin of victory was tiny — less than five points in multiple games — and every basket and foul call counted. Late in Game 5, the Lynx were seemingly on the verge of locking up the franchise’s fifth championship when two fouls were called on the Lynx.
After the first foul, Breanna Stewart missed both free throws, which should have seemingly iced the matchup. But the second foul, called with just under four seconds left, sent Stewie to the line. She nailed both free throws, and the Lynx couldn’t get a shot to fall afterward, sending the game into overtime. That typically isn’t a huge deal until you see the play was called a foul.
As you can see, Stewie seemingly traveled before the foul. But that isn’t what caused an uproar. Many people, including LeBron James, quickly pointed out that the call wasn’t a foul at all. (Warning: NSFW language.)
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
Cheryl Reeve also thought the foul call was awful and challenged it in-game, but it was unsuccessful. As a result, she went IN on the refs during a fiery postgame presser. Here’s part of what she said:
“The officials, during the game, should have a third party because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge. If we sent that clip in … they would have told us that it was marginal contact. No foul. Guaranteed … that decided the game.”
But that wasn’t all Cheryl had to say. She acknowledged that the headlines would discuss her rant before adding, “This [expletive] was stolen from us.” (Warning: NSFW language.)
"I know all the headlines will be 'Reeve cries fouls.' Bring it on. Right? Bring it on. Because this was stolen from us. Bring it on" -Cheryl Reeves on the Lynx losing Game 5pic.twitter.com/y3pkX7bAUs
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 21, 2024
Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] had her best chance to win a championship yet this season. Her Minnesota Lynx had a 30-10 regular-season record and took the New York Liberty, the only team with a better record, to a winner-take-all Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
McBride did everything she could, scoring 21 points, the second-most on the Lynx. She also grabbed five rebounds, had a team-high five assists and a game-high four steals.
It was not enough though as the Liberty won their first WNBA championship with a 67-62 overtime victory. The Lynx remain in a three-way tie for the most WNBA titles with four.
McBride is used to just coming up short by now. She made the finals with the Las Vegas Aces in 2020, but the Seattle Storm, one of the other two teams with four championships, swept that series. She went to three national title games with the Irish in the 2010s but lost every single time.
It’s a classic example of always being the bridesmaid but never the bride. Let’s hope that McBride, who turns 33 next season, can become the bride before too long.
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[autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] has experienced a lot in her 11 WNBA seasons, including four All-Star selections, one of which came this year. But the former Notre Dame guard has yet to call herself a champion. That could be about to change.
McBride and the Minnesota Lynx forced a decisive Game 5 in the WNBA Finals after defeating the New York Liberty in Game 4, 82-80. Bridget Carleton made a pair of free throws with two seconds left to put the Lynx in front. Sabrina Ionescu’s would-be buzzer-beating 3-pointer wound up an air ball, denying the Liberty their first championship for the moment.
McBride led the Lynx with 19 points. She also grabbed two rebounds and dished out four assists. Through four games in the series, she is averaging 17.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 43.1% from the field.
The Lynx currently have four championships in their history. A fifth would give them the most for any WNBA franchise. Here’s hoping McBride gets to be part of that fifth title, assuming she can bring herself to watch:
kayla mcbride on the other end of the court being nervous with us while bridget carleton was shooting her free throws. her saying “i can’t watch” girl same 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/okOgY0Xbgd
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Why were they dancing? No one knows, but it gets the people going.
I’m kidding. But also kind of serious. Neither Napheesa Collier nor Courtney Williams knows why, nor does head coach Cheryl Reeve. Here’s what Reeve said when she was recently asked about it:
“This was a tradition that was started in Minnesota Lynx. Long before I got to Minnesota Lynx…What they’re doing now is whatever they put their stamp on. But that’s a tradition that’s long been a Minnesota Lynx thing before we all got here.”
We love a good, petty mascot beef situation. TURN THIS UP.
This story was updated to include post-championship thoughts from Ellie.
New York Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant and Minnesota Lynx mascot Prowl are beefing, and we can’t stop laughing.
It’s no secret that Ellie is the best WNBA mascot. Many have tried to come close to her aura (sorry, Skye, the Lioness) but haven’t even remotely been close. So, of course, with the WNBA Finals happening, Ellie stayed true to her brand and brought her A-game, including arriving in a custom jacket to show off during pregame tunnels.
Ellie’s seemingly high profile has caused Prowl, Minnesota’s mascot, to up its tactics. After a video surfaced of Ellie giving Courtney Williams’ dad some grief during a Finals game at Barclays, Prowl teamed up with Courtney’s father to rewatch the video and send Ellie a message to “bring it.”
Of course, Ellie had to respond with some hysterical next-level trolling.
Now you’ve been tweeting me for a while now and I usually like to let you talk to yourself, but today I decided to stop by and let you know that paper rip really ATE! I’m really shaking in my timbs 💀💅🐘 https://t.co/IDxMbqQ1Wi
During Game 3 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, one of ESPN’s in-game coach interviews actually paid off in a really cool way.
As the broadcast checked in with Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve during the game’s third quarter, guard Courtney Williams drilled a 3-point attempt from the arc.
The in-game interview gave fans a close-up look at how Reeve reacted in the moment. She wanted Williams to try for the basket, as she said as much on the broadcast. Once she nailed the attempt, Reeve reacted with an emphatic “Boom!”
While most in-game coaching interviews don’t provide much, this was an awesome, real-time look at a coach reacting to a big moment and celebrating once it goes her team’s way.
