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Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve’s NSFW ref rant defended by Stephanie White, Becky Hammon
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- Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve’s NSFW ref rant defended by Stephanie White, Becky Hammon
The post Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve's NSFW ref rant defended by Stephanie White, Becky Hammon appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Minnesota Lynx have not found things as straightforward in the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury as they have all season. After winning the series-opener, they have now lost twice to leave them within a loss of elimination.
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To make matters worse, head coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected late in Game 2 after losing her cool at an official following contact on Napheesa Collier , who has been confirmed to miss Game 4 since. Reeve followed it up with a fiery rant post-game that led to a Game 4 suspension.
However, officiating has been a constant thorn in the side for players and coaches in the WNBA the entire season, and both Stephanie White and Becky Hammon have come out in support of Reeve.
"I think that she made a lot of valid points… I think at some point there has to be some accountability," the Indiana Fever coach said via ESPN's Alexa Philippou. White has been a staunch critic of the officiating this campaign and used the latest incident as further evidence.
"Every part of our league has gotten better, and [officiating] has lagged behind, for whatever reason. Oftentimes it's infrastructure… we all know that when you are trying to invest in an area of business or of sport or whatever, it comes down to resources," she concluded.
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The Las Vegas Aces head coach, on the other hand, did not need more than one statement to sum up the situation.
"From what I heard, she did not tell a lie. She said the truth," she proclaimed.
Reeve lost her cool after Collier suffered contact from Alyssa Thomas late in the fourth quarter. Replays showed Collier rolling her ankle as a result, with the Lynx coach adamant that it should have been called a foul.
Unnecessary contact has been pointed out by coaches and players all through the season, who have continued to demand a higher standard from referees in the WNBA. Comments from both White and Hammon suggest that they are completely on board with Reeve's statement, despite the WNBA claiming that her suspension was for "aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court."
Related: Lynx's Napheesa Collier ruled out with injury for must-win Game 4 vs. Mercury
Related: Lynx's Cheryl Reeve gets 1-game suspension for Game 3 outburst
