WNBA playoffs: Lynx coach Sherrill Reeve reportedly 'ran' at Suns players over postgame celebration

The Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx played Game 3 of their WNBA semifinal series on Friday. Apparently there was some extra excitement behind the scenes.

Ben Pickman and Shams Charania of The Athletic report that Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Suns players near the locker room Sunday after Connecticut's Game 1 win. Reeve, a four-time WNBA champion and coach of the year, reportedly had a problem with that. The Suns celebrated their victory.

One person reportedly said that Reeve Sun “ran over” the players and that Target Center security needed to be involved to defuse the situation.

Reeve didn't say much about the incident after Friday's Game 3 win, other than “we're really competitive people.”

If there's anything that specifically turns Reeve off, it's hard to find it on court replays. After Nafisa Collier's attempt at a 3-point buzzer beater clanked off the backboard, Dewanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas both let out shouts of victory, but they weren't directed at any Link player in particular.

The team then came together as Reeve shook hands with Sun coach Stephanie White and walked to the tunnel by the Sun huddle. Of course, not everything is caught on camera, especially away from the court.

The reported conflict may be why Game 2 turned out so chippy. In a heated and physical game, the Lynx took Game 2 with a strong defensive effort. It was their first home win against the Suns in eight matches.

Reeve is by far the longest tenured coach in the WNBA. After Reeve's hiring in 2009, the next closest coach is Noel Quinn of the Seattle Storm, who was hired in May 2021. Reeve has had considerable influence in the growing league and recently coached the US National Team to gold medals at both Olympics. and the FIBA ​​World Cup.

Thomas played on both of those teams.

More attention may be drawn to the semifinal series featuring a WNBA Finals rematch between the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and WNBA-best New York Liberty, but the Sun-Links series isn't too bad. The two teams ranked first and second in the WNBA in defensive rating during the regular season and featured plenty of veteran talent like Collier, Thomas and Bonner.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Connecticut with a time TBD.