Sophie Cunningham has voiced her frustration with the officiating in the WNBA playoffs, questioning why Angel Reese escaped punishment for several physical incidents during the Atlanta Dream’s semifinal series against the New York Liberty.
Speaking on her No Hesitation podcast ahead of the WNBA Finals, the Indiana Fever guard discussed Reese’s actions in Game 3, particularly her confrontation with Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu following a hard offensive foul on Dream guard Isobel Borlase.
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Although Cunningham acknowledged Reese’s willingness to stand up for her teammates, she argued that the officials should’ve issued a technical foul after the Chicago-born forward pursued Ionescu across the court and confronted her.
Cunningham believes players should be able to show emotion and defend their teammates, but she drew a distinction between verbal exchanges and actions that cross the line.
“Now, here we go … Angel, I appreciate her having her teammate’s back. I think that just shows that she care and that she has love for her teammates,” said Cunningham.
“Here’s my thing, if you’re going to chase someone down the court and get in someone’s ear, that should be a tech, any time. It’s going to be a tech in the regular season. Any other playoff games, that’s a technical foul. You can’t do that.
“Now if she were to stay on her side and kind of just yell and say something, I’m all for that. But the fact that she didn’t get a tech on that I think that is absolutely insane.”
Cunningham raises concerns over dangerous plays and inconsistent calls
The Fever guard also pointed to two other incidents involving Reese during Atlanta’s deciding semifinal game against New York, arguing that the officials overlooked potentially dangerous contact.
In one sequence, Reese made contact with Liberty star Breanna Stewart after the referees had already called a foul on Dream guard Rhyne Howard. Stewart was knocked to the floor, but Reese wasn’t penalized for the additional contact.
Another incident occurred early in the fourth quarter when Reese appeared to dive toward a loose ball following a timeout, making contact with the legs of Liberty guard Marine Fauthoux. Once again, the officials didn’t call a foul against her.
“You can’t tackle someone in the air and then go for someone’s knees and ankles. That’s a dangerous play,” Cunningham said, questioning why neither incident resulted in a penalty.
She also criticized the officials’ handling of an exchange between Reese and Liberty center Jonquel Jones. Both players received technical fouls after trading words, but Cunningham felt the penalties were unnecessary.
In her view, competitive trash talk should be allowed, provided players remain within the rules and avoid dangerous contact.
Cunningham further highlighted what she sees as a double standard by recalling her own technical foul for pointing during Indiana’s 86-77 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on June 22.
Atlanta advanced to the Finals after defeating New York 85-83 in Game 3, while Indiana’s campaign ended with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
The Dream are now preparing to face the Golden State Valkyries in Game 1 of the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Saturday.