WNBA FINALS: MINNESOTA VS. NEW YORK

October 20, 2024

Cheryl Reeve

Napheesa Collier

Kayla McBride

Minnesota Lynx

Game 5: Postgame

New York Liberty 67, Minnesota Lynx 62 (OT)

Q. What made the defense so difficult over the last half of that game? Was it just what New York did or what were you seeing there?

NAPHEESA COLLIER: Do you want to ask Cheryl or me? They turned up the pressure. It's the end of the game. Of course we are both trying to win. They turned up the pressure and we got a couple turnovers. We didn't execute our offensive plays at the end, so that's what their defense was doing.

Q. Can you speak to that, too, what you saw with the offense over the last half of that game?

CHERYL REEVE: I saw a very physical and aggressive New York team. We know this from being a part of the game for so long that sometimes you get away with this stuff when you're physical and aggressive, and they certainly did.

It's a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this. 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. The challenge -- we have got to change our challenge rules. The officials doing the game should have a third party, because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge. If we sent that clip in -- well, first of all, Napheesa Collier, the number of times she was held, et cetera, there was nothing down on that end. For whatever reason in this series, that's kind of the way it was.

At the other end, when we challenged it, if we would have turned that clip in, they would have told us that it was marginal contact, no foul. Guaranteed. Guaranteed. So when you review, those should be the same parameters that you're reviewing with. But the three people on the game need a third party to let them know. Because that decided the game. That decided the game.

Q. Forgive me for changing the subject for a moment, but you did such a great job of preventing Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu from scoring for the most part. What about Jonquel Jones made her so difficult?

CHERYL REEVE: You watched the whole series, right? What makes her difficult is you're spending a lot of time guarding Sabrina and Stewie. In some of those schemes, it created mismatches. But we were going to live with some of that. We knew that JJ was going to score. These guys shot 30 percent. Shot 30 percent. The difference was in the foul line.

Obviously we needed to execute better on offense; I think one of these guys said that. We had opportunities not to fuel them. But we knew they were coming. We just needed -- our lead guard spot was obviously rough for us tonight. We get a little bit decent play out of there, we win the game. But with all that happened, we still almost put ourselves in position to do this. I hurt for our players. I really, really hurt. They are an incredibly special group.

Q. Take me through going into halftime. Executing a lot of what you wanted to do, especially on the defensive end, and it's 34-27. Does that feel smaller than it needed to be or are you feeling good where you guys are at? What was that conversation like?

KAYLA McBRIDE: I think that was kind of the end-of-quarter situation. We were up 12. It was 32-20. We allowed them to come back to get it to within seven or something like that going into the half. That's where we have to be better. That's been throughout the series, too, that end of quarters and things like that. It's hard when you're playing a team at home, a team that knows each other well and things like that.

It's hard to just pick one thing, you know what I'm saying, when you still have a chance to win the game. I think, yeah, we could have executed better, but there were so many things that went on throughout the game that we still gave ourselves a chance to win.

Q. What was halftime like?

KAYLA McBRIDE: It's been the same. Game 5, everybody is making their adjustments, mid-game, mid-possession. We are flying around. Everybody knows each other so well at this point. Everybody is trying to make a play and stop them from making a play. They made some plays in the second half.

CHERYL REEVE: We talked about handling their pressure.

KAYLA McBRIDE: Handling the pressure, executing our offense, not turning the ball over to let them get energy in transition and things like that.

Q. Phee, I'm wondering, it seemed like the shots were falling easier in the first quarter and got harder in parts of the game for you. Was that because of New York tightening up? Did it feel like there were any particular reasons why or the players they were throwing at you?

NAPHEESA COLLIER: Yeah, probably because I was getting held a little bit. It was a little hard to make shots.

No, I think, you know, of course, like they said, everyone is trying to make adjustments in the second half. I got a lot of shots up in the first. I was making a lot, so they tightened up their defense, brought people in rotation, were doubling, things like that. They were upping the pressure and it got harder.

Q. Your team showed the heart of a champion all season, no matter what the result was. Let me ask you how you really enjoyed this team and are really going to cherish the team, and what was your message to them in the locker room? And for you, Kayla, you playing with this team and they have loved your energy and leadership all team. Your thoughts on playing with this team all season and how you showed championship spirit regardless of the result?

CHERYL REEVE: I shared with them exactly what you said. Incredibly proud that since the day we got together in training camp all the way through to the end, we were the same team. We never got the disease of "me." Not one single player on the team got the disease of "me," not one. Those that were maybe in the rotation, fell out of the rotation, some that never got to play, no one ever put themselves first, no one. That is incredibly difficult to find in this day and age.

I'm really, really proud, incredibly proud of the number of people that were impacted by Lynx basketball and how excited they are to watch their team play. I told them, it's who they are as people and how they did it. So those are things we talked about. I wouldn't trade them for anyone. Anyone. Any team. Do things the right way. Built the team within the rules. Those sort of things that maybe right now aren't happening in our league. And did it the hard way.

You know what, we gave hope to those teams that aren't willing to circumvent the cap or fly illegally or all the stuff that's happened over the last five years. Do it the right way gives hope for those other teams that you can build a team just like ours. You don't have to have a super team. You don't have to have that. There's a different way to do it. So I'm incredibly proud of them.

KAYLA McBRIDE: Yeah, it's really rare. Saying that this is my 11th season, and I get to go out to fight with women that I consider sisters, that's why it feels the way it does. Every single day we came to work, we enjoyed being with each other, competing with each other, fighting for each other, and that's why we're here.

That's why we gave ourselves a chance to compete for a championship, because we showed up every day and did it the right way and did it for each other. That's really rare in this league. The way that it's happening and all this other bulls--- that people make seem like it's important, it's not.

What you have in your locker room, and coming to work and showing up every single day and doing things the right way, that's the most important thing and that's why it feels like this with each other. Because we care so much about each other and we wanted it for each other. That's the beauty of it and that's also the heartbreak of it because we deserved this s---.

Q. I think Napheesa is going to end the postseason as the only player in the league to lead in points, rebounds, steals --

CHERYL REEVE: Free throw attempts?

Q. No. Not that. Blocks, I think, was the other one. What can you say about the statement she's made throughout this postseason and even in this last game?

CHERYL REEVE: Obviously the exclamation point to the incredible season that she had. You know, Napheesa showed up big time for this team. Put us in a position to be within seconds of a championship. Phee was phenomenal.

KAYLA McBRIDE: I'm always so in awe of Phee because she carries it with such grace. She carries it her own way. As a superstar in this league, it can become about something else. But she always keeps it about the team and always keeps it about winning and continuing to get better and better.

I'm always in awe of her. Every time she steps on the court and the way she carries herself and no matter what's going on, she's so consistent. That comes from her. That's her internal -- amazing. We just have so much confidence in who she is on and off the court. I'm lucky to be alongside of her. I'm just in awe. She's had an amazing season and amazing postseason obviously. Can't wait to see what she does in the future.

Q. I was going to ask about Phee being phenomenal, too. So often when we talk about who is the best player in the world, people are arguing A'ja or Stewie. But after this, it seems like Phee, she's definitely not the third-best player in the world, I'm pretty convinced. How much do you think that this type of postseason can help her? She's still very young and she can still get better, like catapult to even another level next year.

CHERYL REEVE: That's what's coming. I think greater recognition, that's what's coming. Phee has earned every bit of it. Like you said, still, the season she's had, it's not Phee that you're hearing about. It's other players. But I think Phee has earned it. We'll see going into next season if maybe she'll be a little bit more a face of the league.

Q. You alluded a little bit to the way you built this team. I definitely thought of your team as kind of the holistic, organizational success story. The pro scouting with the players you were able to get in free agency, player development side with a player like Bridget Carleton. As we see a lot of other teams around the league, either build front offices from scratch or restructure theirs as the league gets more competitive and owners are investing more in their team, what do you think the front office of the future looks like and what role does the head coach play in that?

CHERYL REEVE: Well, that's really loaded. It's a lot for me to think about right now, forgive me. I really don't have an answer for that. That's just pretty deep for me. And plus, there's proprietary secrets.

Q. Nyara came in and was great for them tonight.

CHERYL REEVE: She was.

Q. Did she do things differently?

CHERYL REEVE: No, she was tremendous in the playoffs. Really gave them a lift every single time she got minutes. Not surprised. They went big.

It's crazy how the series ended. For four games, it was about the three ball, three ball, three ball. Certainly offensive rebounds throughout the whole thing. But then tonight came down to points in the paint. We don't even score in the paint and we had 44, was it, right. So it was really interesting how the series ended with them playing bigger. They won the game with their defense, no doubt about it, with their defense. Anyway, to your question, her minutes were really good, really helped them.

I know all the headlines will be "Reeve Cries Foul." Bring it on. Bring it on. Because this s--- was stolen from us. Bring it on.

Q. What do you say to your ladies on the team how to process this?

CHERYL REEVE: We talked about it. We know we could have done some things, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent. This s--- ain't that hard. Officiating, it's not that hard. When someone is being held, be consistent. If you don't want to call it a hold at one end, don't call it at the other. Be consistent. Every team asks for that. Sandy asked for that last game. Three of the games in this series, we're talking about the same damn thing.

So I tell these guys, for whatever reason, it didn't work out. It just doesn't feel right that you lose a series with that level of discrepancy. We don't have a team that whines and complains and all that stuff. Sometimes it probably hurts us. Maybe being a little more, I don't know, something. But you have a star player like Phee, that just, I don't get it. I don't get how she can be held and go to the basket and get hit, and then a marginal, at best, at best, sends their best player to the free throw line. I mean, that's tough. It's tough to swallow.

Just like our 2016 championship that was lost -- officiating, missing a shot clock violation. This sucks. This is for a championship for both teams. Let them decide it. What contact is legal should be the same for both teams. This isn't that hard.

So it's disappointing. I mean, congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship. Been around, I don't know, how long has the league been around? 28 years? It took them 28 years. Congrats to them. We were that close to our fifth. Just didn't happen.

It's disappointing. It's incredibly disappointing. But these guys, I mean, they've got to try to pick themselves up and go, "We were that damn close." It hurts. It hurts.