I’ve never seen anything like it. A basketball team as streaky over the period of six games as these 2025 Minnesota Lynx. Game 3 versus the Phoenix Mercury is as good an example as any. All 4 periods were decided by double digits. Over the course of 6 playoff games and a total of 25 periods (one overtime), 10 periods were decided by 10 or more points, or 40 percent of periods. In all of the other WNBA playoff games this year (so far, right now that means 13 games), there have been 6 periods decided by 10 points or more, or 11.5 percent. The Lynx were 3-and-a-half times more streaky than the other WNBA teams.
9-14 vs. Golden State: Lost 1st period 21-28, won the next 3 by a total of 80-44.
9-17 vs. Golden State: Lost the 1st 3 periods 63-49, won the 4th 26-11.
9-21 vs. Phoenix: Lost the 1st half 47-40, won the 2nd half 42-22.
9-23 vs. Phoenix: Won the 1st half 48-32, lost the 2nd half and OT 57-35.
9-26 vs, Phoenix: Won the 1st and 3rd periods 45-35, lost the 2nd and 4th 50-31.
9-28 vs. Phoenix: Won the 1st and 3rd periods 55-31, lost the 2nd and 4th 55-26. The Lynx lost these last 3 4th quarters 77-39 after entering the 4th quarter in the lead all 3 times. They won 2 quarters of each game by a total of 148-98, and failed to win any of them. They lost 2 quarters of each game plus the overtime by a total of 159-92!
And, now, how about those WNBA refs?
“There’s an overwhelming consensus that the officiating structure of the WNBA needs to change,” wrote Cassandra Negley of Yahoo! Sports. This was on September 24, believe it or not. “Fouls are inconsistently called. Players are constantly hacked.” “You can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first five yards,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said, “but you can do it in the WNBA for a whole half court. You put two hands on somebody—that should be an automatic foul. (There’s no) freedom of movement.” Hammon, who has been an NBA assistant, by the way, added, “The physicality (of WNBA play) is out of control. The level of physicality would not fly in the NBA. There would be fights.” If (the league) continued to settle for sub-par officiating,” Nancy Armour wrote in USA Today, “somebody was going to get hurt.” This, again, was on September 24.
Well, two days later, somebody got hurt and, once again, the league’s utter indifference to its many issues redounded on the small-market Minnesota Lynx. In game three of its semi-final series versus the Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix’ Alyssa Thomas barged into Collier, knocked Collier to the floor, stole the ball, and scored on a game-clinching breakaway layup. The two players banged knees, and Collier’s left foot came down awkwardly on top of Thomas’ foot, and Collier rolled her ankle. Collier lay on the floor for several minutes and, two more days later, it was announced that she would be unable to play in game four due to that injury to her left ankle.
Coach Reeve had to be restrained by her assistants and players, but got close enough to the officials to earn two technical fouls and an ejection. Again, two days later it was announced that Reeve, too, would miss game four with a suspension. In her press conference after the game, Reeve said, “If this is what the league wants, OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. The officiating crew we had tonight, for the leadership to deem these three people semifinal-playoff worthy, its f—cking malpractice.” She noted that her star player, Collier, who was the entire focus of the Phoenix defense, who was crowded and checked and hacked all night long, never shot a single free throw while being called for five personal fouls herself. The home team shot 22 free throws, the Lynx eleven. In its first two wins, Phoenix shot 35 free throws, the Lynx 20. Somebody noted that, unlike the NBA, the WNBA does not have full-time officials, and anyone can plainly see that WNBA officials are vastly inferior to NBA or even college officials. But of course, the colleges don’t have full-time officials either, and somehow they manage.
The league undoubtedly was pleased when the Lynx’ “Drive for Five” (or, in our book, its Drive for Seven) again stalled out. None of that changes the fact that the Lynx have in fact won six WNBA championships, fair and square, no matter what it says in their f—ing book, if I may quote Cheryl Reeve on that.