The heated semifinal series between the Lynx and Sun reportedly extended beyond the court after Game 1 on Sunday.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Connecticut players outside the visitor’s locker room in Minneapolis over how the Sun celebrated their series-opening win, according to The Athletic.
The 2024 Coach and Executive of the Year reportedly “ran up” to the Sun players, and stadium security had to get involved to de-escalate the situation.
The series opener between the No. 2 Lynx and No. 3 Sun was close to the very end, with Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier missing a potential game-tying 3-pointer with just a second remaining on the clock.
At the buzzer, Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, who was one assist away from a triple-double after tallying 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, was quick to celebrate — yelling and flexing toward the Sun bench to soak in the victory with her teammates.
The WNBA acknowledged that it was aware of the incident.
“It’s like the players always say, there’s really competitive people,” Reeve told reporters after the Lynx Game 3 90-81 victory over the Sun, when asked about the confrontation. “Really competitive people. It’s the playoffs.”
Sun head coach Stephanie White admitted Friday she wasn’t present for the alleged confrontation and didn’t “have any comment on that,” according to The Athletic.
It has been a physical series so far between the two teams.
In Game 2, Sun’s Marina Mabrey drew a foul for sticking out her foot to trip Lynx’s Bridget Carleton in the second quarter.
Later on, Mabrey was also involved in a pile over a loose ball, diving on top of Collier for it while the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year pushed Mabrey away and Minnesota’s Myisha Hines-Allen also gave Mabrey a shove to get out of the way.
The Lynx have not made it to the semifinals since 2020, and the last time they took home a title was in 2017 against the Sparks.
On the other hand, the Sun have come close in recent years but have yet to win a championship.
In the last five years, they’ve made it to the semifinals three times and the finals twice without coming out victorious.
Without any rookies on their roster and free agency coming up for Thomas, Brionna Jones, and DeWanna Bonner this offseason, their chances are running out.
The Lynx currently lead the best-of-five series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday at 5 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
