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The intense semifinal series between the Lynx and Sun reportedly spilled off the court after Game 1 on Sunday.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Connecticut players outside the visitor’s locker room in Minneapolis over the way the Sun celebrated their win in the series opener, as reported by The Athletic.
The Coach and Executive of the Year in 2024 allegedly approached the Sun players, prompting stadium security to intervene and defuse the situation.
The first game of the series between the No. 2 Lynx and No. 3 Sun was a close contest until the end, with Napheesa Collier of Minnesota missing a potential game-tying 3-pointer with one second left on the clock.
At the final buzzer, Alyssa Thomas of the Sun, who was a single assist away from a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, celebrated energetically by yelling and flexing towards the Sun bench to revel in the victory with her teammates.
The WNBA confirmed that it was aware of the incident.
“It’s like the players always say, there’s really competitive people,” Reeve commented on the confrontation after the Lynx’s 90-81 victory in Game 3 against the Sun. “Really competitive people. It’s the playoffs.”
Sun head coach Stephanie White stated on Friday that she was not present for the alleged confrontation and had no comment on it, as reported by The Athletic.
The series between the two teams has been physical so far.
In Game 2, Marina Mabrey of the Sun drew a foul for sticking her foot out to trip Bridget Carleton of the Lynx in the second quarter.
Mabrey was also involved in a scuffle over a loose ball where she dove on top of Collier, with Hines-Allen pushing her away and Hines-Allen giving Mabrey a shove to clear the way.
The Lynx last reached the semifinals in 2020 and last won a championship in 2017 against the Sparks.
On the other hand, the Sun have been close to winning a championship in recent years but have fallen short.
In the last five years, they have made it to the semifinals three times and the finals twice without clinching the title.
With no rookies on their roster and free agency looming for Thomas, Jones, and Bonner this offseason, their opportunities are dwindling.
The Lynx currently lead the best-of-five series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
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