The Liberty broke the 48-year-long New York basketball championship drought after capturing the 2024 WNBA title. Their Game 5 victory over the Minnesota Lynx went down to the wire and was filled with controversy. A questionable foul on the Lynx sent Breanna Stewart to the free-throw line with the opportunity to send the game to overtime. The foul call resulted in a passionate rant from NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe in defense of Minnesota, which Stephen A. Smith profoundly disagreed with.
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Following the game, Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve declared the title was “stolen” from them due to the officiating. The play in particular that coach Reeve referenced was Alanna Smith’s foul on Stewart. On ESPN’s ‘First Take’, Smith and Sharpe shared their opinions on Reeve’s comments. Sharpe gave New York the respect they were due, but couldn’t defend how the game finished. He said,
“That’s a no call. She beat her to the spot. She went up vertical, she did not touch her, and they call a foul. They’re dictating because there’s only 5.2 seconds on the clock… I thought it was a poorly officiated game.”
Sharpe’s co-host adamantly took the opposite stance, as Smith refused to blame the officiating for the Lynx’s loss. He said,
“Well, cry me river. She was absolutely right, that was not a foul. I’m simply saying, I don’t give a d*mn… You don’t know what you’re facing against? You see the Barclay Center, you see how packed that was. Maybe if y’all handled your business in Minnesota in Game 3, it wouldn’t have been to Game 5 for you to be in that position.”
Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back in his passionate retaliation to Sharpe and Reeve. The New York native didn’t blindly display his bias, as he stood in agreement that there shouldn’t have been a foul call. However, he didn’t agree with blaming the officiating for the Lynx’s loss.
With the Lynx up by 2 points and 5 seconds left in the game, a foul was called on Alanna Smith
The Lynx challenged the call but it was unsuccessful. Breanna Stewart hit both free throws and we are going to OT!!#WNBA pic.twitter.com/DzFra6gIis
— WNBA Universe (@wnbauniverse) October 21, 2024
Minnesota’s Game 5 loss resulted in the team’s third loss in the Finals. Smith pointed at the Lynx’s inability to win Game 3 at home, which turned the series in favor of the Liberty. He also stated that the Lynx should’ve been ready to overcome New York’s “hostile environment”.
However, the controversy didn’t remain strictly in the final foul call of regulation. The free-throw discrepancy between the two teams led to great discourse.
Minnesota attempted only eight free throws the entire game. On the other hand, New York attempted 25 free throws. Liberty star, Breanna Stewart took the same amount of free throws as the entire Lynx team.
Moreover, the attempts to discredit the Liberty won’t take away the fact they are the 2024 WNBA champions. The Lynx put up an amazing fight but will have more fuel for redemption in the 2025 season.
