The 2024 WNBA season is finally over but it surely did not reach its conclusion without some bit of controversy in the final game of the campaign. During Sunday's Game 5 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center, some fans felt that the officiating was favoring the home team. Even Milwaukee Bucks superstar point guard Damian Lillard had the same feeling.

“Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game,” Lillard posted on X (formerly Twitter).

One particular play in Game 5 that caused uproar among fans was the foul that Liberty star Breanna Stewart drew from the Lynx with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. While trying to go for a bucket to tie the game, Stewart got a foul and received two chances at the free-throw line. Stewart, who had earlier missed a couple of crucial freebies, knocked down both free throws to level the score and eventually force overtime. It was the same play that got Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James seemingly mad as well, as the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player felt that the foul should have just been deemed a let-go, given the moment and what was on the line.

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There was also a big disparity in free-throw attempts between the Liberty and the Lynx in the ultimate game of the WNBA Finals. New York hit 21 of the 25 shots it had from the foul line while Minnesota only had eight total attempts (and made seven) from the charity stripe.

In any case, the Liberty won the series and their franchise's first-ever WNBA title. They took advantage of the extra time and came out on top. It was a painful way for the Lynx to lose what they felt was completely theirs, but they simply did not get enough breaks like Stewart and company did.

Jonquel Jones led all Liberty scorers in Game 5 with 17 points while also capturing the 2024 WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Stewart notched a double-double of 13 points and 15 boards while Nyara Sabally provided important production from the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of action.