The Atlanta Dream are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013, and Angel Reese has been at the center of their playoff run, both for her strong defense and for her intensity on the court. Now, one of her longtime opponents is weighing in on how the officials have handled her.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said on her No Hesitation podcast that she appreciates Reese “having her teammates’ back,” but argued that Reese should have been hit with a technical foul for chasing New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu down the court during the semifinals.
Reese’s Heated Moments
The Dream swept the Liberty with an 85-83 win in Game 3 on Oct. 9, but the game featured a pair of heated moments involving Reese.
In the first half, Reese was denied at the basket by Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, and the two went chest-to-chest until they were separated. Both players were assessed technical fouls.
Later, after Ionescu set a hard screen on Dream guard Isobel Borlase, Reese followed Ionescu back down the court, yelling in her ear. Reese was not called for a technical on that play, even though ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said on the broadcast that she should have been.
Reese was later fined $500 for her technical against Jones, her second of the playoffs. The Dream will now face the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals, which begin on Oct. 17.
‘That Should Be a Tech’
During the most recent episode of her podcast, No Hesitation, Cunningham said she respects Reese’s competitiveness but took issue with the inconsistent officiating.
“Angel, I appreciate her having her teammates’ back. That just shows that she cares and that she loves for her teammates,” Cunningham said on the podcast. “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 anytime. That should be a tech.”
Cunningham argued that it would have been issued a technical foul at any other point in the season.
“It’s going to be a tech in the regular season. Now, if she were to stay on her side and just kind of yell and say something, I’m all for that,” she continued. “You know what I mean? But the fact that she didn’t get a tech on that, I think that’s absolutely insane.”
That said, Cunningham said she didn’t think the double technical with Jones was necessary.
“With the JJ, when she drove and got blocked, I wish that they wouldn’t have gave either of them a tech. I think that’s good playoff basketball,” Cunningham said. “I’m like, let them talk a little [expletive] to each other and then like their teams separate. Like, I think that’s fine. So it’s just so weird and inconsistent.”
“If you’re gonna not call someone chasing someone down on the court and talking [expletive] to them, then if someone gets a block and they just go like this and Angel sticks her ground too, don’t call a tech. Let them play good hard basketball,” she added.
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