Culture
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve says series ‘stolen’ after poor officiating in WNBA Finals loss to Liberty
NEW YORK — The 2024 WNBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in league history. Even as they were competing against each other, Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty players recognized the beauty of their competition and what a great advertisement it was in a season that brought record viewership and enthusiasm to the league.
But the finals also brought a spotlight to the WNBA’s officiating. The performance of the referees didn’t rise to the standard of the players, and they compromised the league’s product as a result.
“It’s a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after losing 67-62 in overtime to the Liberty. “Obviously there’s always going to be a team that’s going to be a little more disappointed than the other. I thought today was incredibly disappointing.”
“This (expletive) ain’t that hard,” she added. “Officiating, it’s not that hard.”
The conversation around a do-or-die game featuring two of the best players in the world in Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier should have centered on basketball. Instead, it was dominated by aggrieved reactions to the refereeing and suggestions of conspiracies benefitting the team in the bigger media market with the more popular star.
The Lynx’s ire was primarily focused on one call near the end of regulation, when Alanna Smith was whistled for a foul on Stewart with 5.2 seconds remaining on what appeared to be marginal contact. The decision held up after a challenge, though Stewart clearly traveled before the foul, and Reeve guaranteed that it would not have stood had a replay center outside of the building been tasked with reviewing the call.
Breanna Stewart just traveled worldwide in this play 😭😭😭#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/pK2YlNWRNV
— 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅🖤💫 (@DaviddLovesSosa) October 21, 2024
There were also multiple instances of Collier getting hit around the rim or wrapped up before receiving an entry pass that went uncalled. Halfway through overtime, Leonie Fiebich had her arm locked around Collier, leaving Collier unable to catch an entry pass from Natisha Hiedeman and resulting in a Lynx turnover instead of a foul on Fiebich. Collier attempted 18 field goals in the paint and didn’t attempt a single free throw. She had never before taken more than 11 field goals without getting to the foul line. She ultimately fouled out in overtime.
During regulation, before Minnesota had to foul to extend the game in the extra session, the foul disparity was 19-12 against the road team. Reeve went so far as to say the game was “stolen” from the Lynx.
Right before this video starts, Coach Cheryl Reeve says “This s— was stolen from us.” pic.twitter.com/8VanrfiXup
— Zena Keita (@itszenakeita) October 21, 2024
This isn’t the first time Reeve has cried foul in the postseason, She maintains eight years later that Minnesota lost another title in 2016 when the Sparks weren’t whistled for a shot-clock violation at the end of Game 5, and Nneka Ogwumike managed to get off a game-winning basket in a one-point game. But Reeve’s repeated complaints don’t mean she’s wrong; rather, she’s right that the WNBA has a long-standing problem with quality officiating.
Three games in this series ended with coaches complaining about the one-sided nature of the refereeing during their postgame comments. After Game 3, when Stewart took 10 free throws compared to 12 total for the Lynx, Reeve said: “The game is called differently for Phee than it is for Stewie for sure. You look at the same level of activity, and around-the-rim contact. For whatever reason, we have 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 got no calls today. So do I need to talk up in a press conference?”
“All we want is fair, OK. So if we are getting hit, that’s a foul,” Brondello added.
Before the finals, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the WNBA would undergo its usual audit of referees while still suggesting that the public focus on calls was a sign of passion rather than an indication that immediate improvement was necessary.
Nevertheless, the fact that the league’s longest-tenured coach would publicly rip the officials not once, but multiple times, on its biggest stage is a red flag.
Combine that with NBA stars like LeBron James and Damian Lillard chiming in on the issue on social media, with Lillard suggesting that the referees intentionally let New York back in the game in the second half, and the WNBA should have some introspection.
Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game .
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) October 21, 2024
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 21, 2024
There have never been more eyes on the league than at this moment, and the perception of fairness is imperative to keep fans engaged. They have to believe their team has a chance and not enter games against a media darling as an underdog.
Complaining about officials is a rite of passage for sports fans, so the fact that officiating took a heightened role isn’t out of the ordinary. However, there is a difference between fans feeling their team was cheated and the overall quality of referees not being up to par.
When three officials can’t see the ball went off of a player’s foot – which is what happened in Game 1 with Stewart – and are forced to call a jump ball as a result, that is a failure. When a player is wrapped up and can’t get to a pass because she is being held, and that play is whistled a turnover, that is on the officials.
There will always be judgment calls in basketball, and different referees will allow varied amounts of contact. That isn’t 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 wouldn’t take the bait when asked about Reeve’s assertion that the series had been taken from Minnesota, choosing rather to highlight her team’s ability to power through adversity. And New York’s grit should be celebrated. To battle back from 12 points down on a night when their two stars couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach is a remarkable feat of endurance and persistence.
It doesn’t overshadow that the Lynx were battling against more than just the Liberty. That isn’t fair to either team. As it becomes a bigger player in the national sports media landscape, it’s incumbent that the league invests more in its officials so that they are ready for this spotlight and this responsibility. The players deserve better than what they got in Game 5.
(Photo of Cheryl Reeve: Elsa / Getty Images)
Culture
How long passes by goalkeepers went from practical to tactical
The death of the long ball has been frequently pronounced as football has evolved in the past few years.
Playing out from the back has become the standard. Direct teams are the anomaly rather than the norm.
The logical tactical evolution after that was the rise of the high press, followed by attempts to deliberately lure the press to exploit spaces in behind those opposition players doing the pressing.
During that time, teams have been playing shorter passes from the back. Goalkeepers are no longer habitually launching long balls as far up the pitch as they can. Instead, they play a key role in their team’s build-up phase, a trend best illustrated by the decline of the long ball in Europe’s top leagues, especially the Premier League.
Goalkeepers in England’s top flight have been playing fewer long balls. Since the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season, the percentage of goalkeeper passes played long — defined as balls that travel at least 32m (35 yards) — has been decreasing year on year, dropping from 69 per cent to under half in that six-year period.
The move towards playing shorter passes means ’keepers have increasingly been required to possess a different skill set. Technical ability on the ball has become a necessity, leading to a focus on developing goalkeepers who are good with their feet under pressure.
This increased technical quality of goalkeepers, and the rise of aggressive pressing, have led to teams maximising long passes to exploit spaces upfield.
“When you play teams against man to man, the man free is the ‘keeper,” said Pep Guardiola after his Manchester City side’s 3-0 away win against Burnley at the start of last season. “That’s why you have to use this alternative.”
In the second half of that game, City exploited Burnley’s man-marking by isolating striker Erling Haaland and using goalkeeper Ederson to play long passes to him. Ederson completed 16 of his 28 long passes at Turf Moor that night — his highest Premier League tally since 2018-19 — and one of those led to the free kick through which City scored their third goal.
Similarly, visitors Brentford tried to press City man-to-man in their Premier League match last month. Again, the City players dropped deeper to drag Brentford defenders out of position, creating space for Haaland to attack and for Ederson to send long passes into.
In this example, Jack Grealish and Savinho retreat to move their markers forward, Sepp van den Berg and Nathan Collins, and isolate Haaland against Ethan Pinnock.
Once the City players attract Brentford’s defenders higher up the pitch, Ederson plays a long ball towards Haaland, who beats Pinnock to score the winner.
“When you isolate Haaland against a central defender, with the quality that we have with Ederson and (backup goalkeeper) Stefan Ortega, it’s a weapon that we have to exploit,” said Guardiola after City’s 2-1 victory that day.
This season has been the third in a row in which City have used Ederson’s long balls towards Haaland to beat man-to-man pressing schemes. Considering the qualities and profiles of the two players, it’s a golden solution.
On the other side of Manchester, Guardiola’s United counterpart Erik ten Hag was never lucky enough to see Andre Onana’s long balls towards Diogo Dalot result in a goal.
Since the beginning of last season, ’keeper Onana has been trying to find Dalot’s runs behind the defence, whether the Portuguese full-back was starting from a narrow infield position or a wider one.
The idea is to wait until Dalot has curved his run beyond the opposition back line before the goalkeeper plays the long ball into space with the other United players vacating that area.
In the 2-1 home win against Brentford this month, Dalot snuck behind Kevin Schade — after Marcus Rashford’s narrow positioning dragged Kristoffer Ajer infield — to attack the space beyond the defence.
Onana perfectly times his long pass, with Dalot still onside…
… but the full-back shoots straight at Mark Flekken.
Liverpool have also been using their goalkeepers’ long-range distribution to execute a specific move.
Alisson and his backup Caoimhin Kelleher have been playing long balls to Mohamed Salah to start an up-back-through passing pattern down their right wing.
Liverpool’s third goal in a 4-1 win against Sevilla in pre-season is an example of how the move works: Alisson goes direct towards Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai makes a third-man run into the space the Egyptian winger has vacated, even before the latter gets the ball back to Diogo Jota, who then finds the Hungarian midfielder’s run.
Salah has received 42 per cent of Liverpool goalkeepers’ completed long passes in the Premier League this season, a stark increase compared to the previous six campaigns. New head coach Arne Slot is turning him into a direct outlet.
It’s important to remember that this is not just a case of goalkeepers launching their kicks forward with no purpose. The idea is to have a specific routine that maximises your chance of scoring a goal.
Arsenal’s David Raya has played 56 per cent of his passes long in the Premier League so far this season — only Nottingham Forest, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ goalkeepers have gone direct more frequently. But Arsenal aren’t just lumping the ball forward for the sake of it. Raya’s long passes are mainly targeted towards Kai Havertz near the right touchline, with the other Arsenal players in position to try to then win the second ball.
Since Raya and Havertz joined Arsenal in summer 2023, the Germany forward has received as many of the Spain goalkeeper’s completed long passes as the rest of the team combined in the Premier League (102 of 204). The next highest receivers on the list are Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, with just 17 each.
Football’s evolution in recent years has turned goalkeepers’ long balls into a tool to attack space and progress up the pitch.
More emphasis on build-up play has favoured technically sound ‘keepers, while also leading to the rise of aggressive pressing and higher defensive lines. Goalkeepers can target specific areas and team-mates to bypass that press and attack the space it inevitably creates.
Numerically, long balls played by ’keepers are in decline but tactically, they are more important than ever.
(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Culture
Manchester United agree deal to hire Ruben Amorim as head coach
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon over the hire of Ruben Amorim as head coach.
As part of the deal Amorim is set to stay with Sporting for their next three games, including against Manchester City on Tuesday and Braga on November 10, meaning he would first take charge of United away at Ipswich Town on November 24.
Sporting were determined to keep hold of Amorim for this crucial period and United have accepted those terms in recognition of the 39-year-old’s standing at the Portuguese club and his desire for a smooth exit mid-campaign.
Amorim has a €10million (£8.4m, $10.9m) release clause in his contract, but there is also a 30-day notice period. United are willing to pay €1m extra to get Amorim earlier, so he can start work during the international break. Sporting had been demanding an additional €5m for an immediate release, according to people familiar with the deal in Portugal.
Sporting insist everything is not yet finalised and there have also been conversations around further compensation to allow the departures of the staff Amorim has earmarked to join him, namely first-team coaches Emanuel Ferro, Adelio Candido, and Carlos Fernandes, as well as goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital and sports scientist Paulo Barreira. United chief executive Omar Berrada has been in Lisbon leading the talks for United.
Amorim wants a satisfactory departure from a club he has called home for four years, conscious of the bond established with supporters in two league title wins, and United were open to such diplomacy given the season is underway and Ruud van Nistelrooy is capable of stepping up as interim manager.
Speaking ahead of Sporting’s game with Estrela Amadora on Friday night, Amorim refused to expand on when an announcement would be made.
“It’s a negotiation between two clubs. It’s never easy. Even with the clauses, it’s never easy. They have to talk,” he told reporters.
“We will have clarification after the game. It will be very clear so it’s one more day after the game tomorrow we will have the decision made.”
He did not watch United’s win over Leicester City on Wednesday night, focusing instead on Estrela while also monitoring Manchester City, who Sporting take on in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Asked what he liked about the Premier League in general, he added: “Everything.”
Van Nistelrooy would, in this timeframe, have a total of four games in charge adding in Chelsea in the Premier League, PAOK in the Europa League, and Leicester again in the Premier League.
The Dutchman’s long-term future at the club is not yet certain. He has said he is willing to work in any capacity Amorim sees fit. A week as United boss is at least an opportunity to enhance his CV as a No 1.
The pursuit of Amorim follows the decision to relieve Erik ten Hag of his duties as manager on Monday after two and a half years in charge.
GO DEEPER
Key meeting, Welbeck request and Amorim plan – inside Manchester United’s manager change
What will Amorim bring to United?
Analysis by senior data analyst Mark Carey
Ruben Amorim is a manager that has been linked with his fair share of jobs in recent months, and you can understand why the 39-year-old is in demand.
Amorim guided Sporting to a first league title for 19 years in 2021-22, followed it up with another victory last season, and has nine wins from nine with Sporting sitting pretty at the top of the Primeira Liga this season.
Even accounting for the quality imbalance of the Primeira Liga, a side who boasted, statistically, one of the best attacks (Chance creation, 95 out 99) and the best defences (Chance prevention, 97 out of 99) shows that their manager must be having a positive effect.
Stylistically, Amorim’s 3-4-3 — or more specifically, a 3-4-2-1 — is built on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a strong defensive foundation.
Last season’s arrival of striker Viktor Gyokeres led to a more transitional, direct style of attack (Patient attack, 49 out of 99). It also highlights Amorim’s ability to maximise his style by adapting to the skill sets of his players.
Amorim has shown his desire to bring young talent into the first team — including Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Diomande — and has improved the team’s quality with the resources at his disposal.
Bruno Fernandes moved to Manchester United a little over a month before Amorim’s appointment, but Mendes (to Paris Saint-Germain), Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Manuel Ugarte (also to PSG) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham) are among the talented players whom Amorim has improved before being sold for high fees.
Title-winning credentials? Tick. Fielding young players? Tick. Improving individual player performance? Tick. There are reasons why Amorim has been so highly sought-after among Europe’s elite.
(Top photo: Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
Culture
NASCAR suspends Truck Series driver Conner Jones for 1 race after intentional crash
NASCAR suspended Truck Series driver Conner Jones for one race on Wednesday after he intentionally crashed another driver, Matt Mills — who was hospitalized for two days over the weekend as a result of the wreck.
Jones, 18, lost his temper while racing Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and rammed into Mills’ rear bumper, sending Mills’ truck up the racetrack and into the wall. Mills’ truck then caught fire. The driver was taken to a local hospital due to smoke inhalation.
NASCAR issued a two-lap penalty to Jones at the time. But after meeting this week, officials determined that Jones’ behavior also warranted a one-race suspension.
Jones refused to speak with reporters at the track, but later issued an apology in a statement on social media that said, in part: “Matt and I have encountered several on-track incidents this season, and I let my frustration get the best of me. I underestimated the impact my actions would have on Matt, and I deeply regret the consequences that followed.”
— Conner Jones (@connerjones88) October 26, 2024
Mills, after being released from the hospital Monday, posted a video to his social media channels that expressed appreciation for the outpouring of well-wishes from fans.
“Definitely didn’t like being in the hospital as long as I was or being in that situation,” Mills said, his voice still raspy from the smoke. “Having you guys there to support me and help me get through that, I can’t thank you all enough.”
Glad to be heading home. Appreciate everyone that reached out over the last couple of days. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lN7Ph8y2fy
— Matt Mills (@mattmillsracing) October 28, 2024
Mills has been cleared to race Friday at Martinsville Speedway. He is 23rd in the point standings for Niece Motorsports with two top-10 finishes this year.
Jones, who has driven a part-time schedule for ThorSport Racing this season, has a best finish of 11th on the season. A replacement for Jones has not been named.
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(Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
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