Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve blasts WNBA refs in fiery rant after star’s injury: ‘F–king malpractice’

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected and escorted off the court during her team's 84-76 loss to the Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals, after which she launched a vehement criticism of the league's officiating in her postgame news conference.

Reeve's anger was primarily sparked by an injury to star player Napheesa Collier in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, when Collier's left leg made contact with Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas, causing her to hobble off the court; Reeve later suggested the ankle injury was "probably a fracture" without providing further details.

Following the injury, Reeve ran onto the court to confront an official and had to be restrained by assistant coaches and a player, and she shouted at fans while leaving; in her news conference, where she did not take questions, she expressed fury that Collier did not attempt a single free throw despite having five fouls and suffering multiple incidents.

Reeve called for a change in leadership at the league level regarding officiating, describing the crew's assignment as "f–king malpractice" and stating that she should not have to "play through what we did," adding that the officials were "f–king awful" before walking out.

This is not the first time Reeve has blamed officials for a playoff loss, referencing a previous WNBA Finals where she claimed the game was "stolen" from her team; the top-seeded Lynx are now down 2-1 in the series and face elimination in Game 4 on Sunday, with no official update provided on Collier's status.