The Minnesota Lynx struck first in their opening round series of the WNBA Playoffs against the Golden State Valkyries with a 101-72 Game 1 win. The series will now shift to the Valkyries home court for Game 2. But during the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve noticed something different about the officiating following halftime, as per Myron Medcalf of ESPN.
“I have to go back and look at the video because again, both teams are physical,” Reeve said. “Do you get called for every foul? No. I mean that’s not possible for them either. So I mean, I understand it, but it’s the playoffs and obviously, we fouled a lot at the end, but I didn’t think that was a factor in the game though.”
Cheryl Reeve had mentioned that the officiating crew told her that they were going to call all of the obvious fouls in the second half of Game 1 between the Lynx and the Valkyries. The Lynx were called for 15 fouls in the second half compared to 11 for the Valkyries.
After the game, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase did not mince words when talking about the officiating, as per Medcalf. Nakase was called for a technical foul during the first half of the game.
“When Iliana Rupert is trying to fight for the rebound and she’s getting called for a foul on a rebound, it takes our aggression away, and that’s where I’m not okay with it,” Nakase said. “I want a fair fight. I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out. They’re fighting. But I would like it to be fair.”
Coming into this series, the Lynx were certainly considered the favorite, and perhaps the championship favorite overall. Reeve has been the head coach of the Lynx since 2010. During her tenure, Reeve has led the Lynx to four WNBA titles.
