NEW YORK — The 2024 WNBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in league history. Even as they were competing against each other, Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty players recognized the beauty of their competition and what a great advertisement it was in a season that brought record viewership and enthusiasm to the league.
But the finals also brought a spotlight to the WNBA’s officiating. The performance of the referees didn’t rise to the standard of the players, and they compromised the league’s product as a result.
“It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after losing 67-62 in overtime to the Liberty. “Obviously there’s always going to be a team that’s going to be a little more disappointed than the other. I thought today was incredibly disappointing.”
“This (expletive) ain’t that hard,” she added. “Officiating, it’s not that hard.”
The conversation around a do-or-die game featuring two of the best players in the world in Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier should have centered on basketball. Instead, it was dominated by aggrieved reactions to the refereeing and suggestions of conspiracies benefitting the team in the bigger media market with the more popular star.
The Lynx’s…
