The WNBA did not fine Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve after her criticism of the officiating from the winner-take-all Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, a league source told ESPN.
Reeve said the championship was "stolen from us" after a foul was called on Minnesota's Alanna Smith with 5.2 seconds left in regulation and the Liberty down by two. Last year's WNBA MVP, Breanna Stewart, went to the free throw line and made both attempts for New York to even the score, and the Liberty prevailed 67-62 in overtime to win the championship.
Reeve, who unsuccessfully challenged the foul call on Smith, called the officiating "incredibly disappointing" and said, "It's a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this."
WNBA coaches and general managers have been fined throughout the year for public criticism of officiating, though those penalties have not been made public.
In Game 5, the Liberty shot 25 free throws to the Lynx's eight, and there were 21 foul calls on Minnesota versus 17 on New York.
"It just doesn't feel right that you lose a series with that level of discrepancy," Reeve said.
She also said, "Officiating, it's not that hard."
The league also did not fine Liberty coach Sandy Brondello after she criticized the officiating after Game 4, the source said. In that game, the Lynx had 20 trips to the free throw line, compared with the Liberty's nine.
"I know Cheryl talked about it last time, but we got no calls today," Brondello said after the game a two-point Lynx win to force Game 5. "So do I need to talk up in a press conference? Because they were getting ticky-tacks. And we went down there and got hit and get nothing.
"All we want is fair, OK. So if we are getting hit, that's a foul. You know, I'm one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair."
Games 1, 3 and 4 were each decided by two or three points, and this Finals series was the first with multiple games that went to overtime.