NEW YORK — The 2024 WNBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in the league’s history. Even as they competed against each other, the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty players recognized the beauty of their league and what a great advertisement it was in a season that brought record viewership and enthusiasm for the league.

But the finals also put the spotlight on the WNBA’s leadership. The performance of the referees was not up to the level of the players and therefore compromised the product of the competition.

“It’s a shame that the referee played such a role in a series like this,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after losing 67-62 to the Liberty in overtime. “Obviously there will always be a team that will be a little more disappointed than the other. I found today incredibly disappointing.”

“This (expletive) isn’t that hard,” she added. “Serving, it’s not that difficult.”

The conversation surrounding a do-or-die game with two of the best players in the world, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, should have focused on basketball. Instead, it was dominated by aggrieved reactions to the referees and suggestions of conspiracies that benefited the team in the larger media market with the more popular star.

The Lynx’s ire was mainly focused on one call near the end of regulation, when Alanna Smith was whistled for a foul on Stewart with 5.2 seconds left on what appeared to be marginal contact. The call stood after a challenge, although Stewart clearly traveled before the foul, and Reeve guaranteed it would not have stood had a replay center outside the building been tasked with reviewing the call.

Breanna Stewart just traveled the world in this piece 😭😭😭#WNBAFinales pic.twitter.com/pK2YlNWRNV

— 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅🖤💫 (@DaviddLovesSosa) October 21, 2024

There were also multiple instances where Collier was hit around the rim or wrapped up before receiving an entry pass that wasn’t called. Midway through overtime, Leonie Fiebich had her arm around Collier, preventing Collier from catching an entry pass from Natisha Hiedeman, resulting in a Lynx turnover instead of a foul on Fiebich. Collier made 18 field goals in the paint and didn’t attempt a single free throw. She had never made more than 11 field goals before without reaching the foul line. She ended up being fouled in overtime.

During regulation, before Minnesota had to foul to extend the game into the extra session, the foul differential was 19-12 against the road team. Reeve even went so far as to say the game was “stolen” from the Lynx.

Just before this video starts, coach Cheryl Reeve says, “This was stolen from us.” pic.twitter.com/8VanrfiXup

— Zena Keita (@itszenakeita) October 21, 2024

This isn’t the first time Reeve has made a mistake in the postseason. She claims eight years later that Minnesota lost another title in 2016 when the Sparks were not called for a shot-clock violation at the end of Game 5, and Nneka Ogwumike managed to get out of a winning basket in a game of one point. But Reeve’s repeated complaints don’t mean she’s wrong; rather, she is right that the WNBA has a long-standing problem with the quality of supervision.

Three matches in this series ended with coaches complaining about the one-sided nature of the referees during their post-match comments. After Game 3, when Stewart shot 10 free throws, compared to 12 total for the Lynx, Reeve said, “The game is definitely called differently for Phee than it is for Stewie. You’re looking at the same level of activity and contact around the rim. For whatever reason, we’re having a hard time getting to the foul line in this series.

New York coach Sandy Brondello responded in Game 4, when the Liberty lost the free throw battle 20-9, saying, “I know Cheryl talked about it last time, but we didn’t get a call today. So should I say something during a press conference?”

“All we want is fair, okay. So if we get hit, it’s a foul,” Brondello added.

Before the finals, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the WNBA would undergo the usual audit of referees, while still suggesting that the public attention to calls was a sign of passion rather than an indication that immediate improvement was necessary.

Still, the fact that the league’s longest-tenured coach is publicly insulting the officials not once, but multiple times, on the biggest stage is a warning sign.

Combine that with NBA stars like LeBron James and Damian Lillard weighing in on the issue on social media, with Lillard suggesting the referees deliberately let New York back into the game in the second half, and the WNBA should have some introspection.

The referees called this play as if they knew the assignment in the 2nd half as a boy. Great game.

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) October 21, 2024

I’m sorry, but that wasn’t a violation! Let those damn players dictate the outcome of a closely fought, tested game. 🤦🏾‍♂️

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 21, 2024

There have never been more eyes on the league than right now, and the perception of fairness is imperative to keeping fans engaged. They must believe their team has a chance and should not enter games as underdogs against a media darling.

Complaining about officials is a rite of passage for sports fans, so the fact that officials played a larger role is not unusual. However, there is a difference between fans feeling like their team has been cheated and the overall quality of refereeing not being up to scratch.

If three officials can’t see the ball going off a player’s foot — which is what happened in Game 1 with Stewart — and are forced to call a jump ball, that’s a failure. If a player is wrapped up and can’t make a pass because she’s being held, and that play is called, that’s up to the officials.

In basketball there will always be judgments, and different referees will allow different amounts of contact. That’s not what happened in Game 5 and at other points in the Finals, and it will leave a stain on what was otherwise an incredible series.

Brondello didn’t want to take the bait when asked about Reeve’s claim that the series was taken from Minnesota, choosing instead to emphasize her team’s ability to push through adversity. And New York’s courage should be celebrated. To fight back from a 12-point deficit on a night when their two stars couldn’t touch the ocean from the beach is a remarkable feat of endurance and perseverance.

It doesn’t overshadow the fact that the Lynx were fighting more than just the Liberty. That’s not fair for either team. As the league becomes a bigger player in the national sports media landscape, the onus is for the league to invest more in its officials so they are ready for this spotlight and this responsibility. The players deserve better than what they got in Game 5.

(Photo by Cheryl Reeve: Elsa/Getty Images)