“This s— was stolen from us,” an angry Cheryl Reeve remarked after a call from the referee cost them the 2024 WNBA title. She did not hold back from making her dissatisfaction known about the officiating. The Liberty had shot 25 free throws to the Lynx’s 8, and the last-second whistle ended up deciding the game. Months in, you couldn’t help but note the déjà vu moment the Fever vs Liberty game dealt. Only this time, there was a follow-up. Not the one coach would wish for. 

With the last few seconds left on the clock, Sabrina Ionescu drove to the rim. And much like Alanna Smith, Lexie Hull stood there playing good defense. But where the Lynx star was called for a shooting foul despite no supposed contact, Hull received hers on an offense-initiated one. Stephanie White was not having it. After no-calls piled up over this, she pushed back.

After the game, White publicly criticized the officiating, labeling it “disrespectful” and “egregious.” She highlighted a significant free-throw disparity, noting a 31-point difference over recent games, and questioned the consistency of calls against her team. That did not go unanswered. 

The head coach revealed that she was fined by the WNBA for those comments on the referees. “Do you want me to get fined again? Because I did just get fined,” she said after being asked about the officiating in the Fever’s loss to the Washington Mystics. 

Even though the words were different, White and Reeve echoed one thing. They want consistency. If the league and the officials don’t work on that, then coaches will speak up regardless of the fine or action from the league. Because winning with fairness is the end goal. Currently, Fever is bagging neither of them. 

After the controversial loss to the Liberty, White’s side has added another defeat. This one to the Mystics– the youngest team in the league. Following Caitlin Clark’s injury, if spectators were confident about a stretch that the Fever could get through just fine, it was this– 4 games against the lower-ranked teams. But they have already started off on a wrong foot.

A team that stood out for depth and offense never managed to find its footing past halftime, nor did they record any fastbreak points. With Sydney Colson barely playing before this game, she looked rusty on the court as a replacement for Caitlin Clark. She had just four points and three assists, going 2-7 from the field and missing all three of her three-point attempts. The Fever attack lacked the bite with someone like Colson running the show. Before this game, she played a total of 24 minutes and did not appear in the Liberty game at all. 

Clark averaged 19 points per game along with 9.3 assists. You can guess the engine she has been for the team. So while Sophie Cunningham had said, “It’s a great opportunity for us to learn offense. Move the ball, pass, cut. We just can’t stand and watch anymore. I think it’s going to be good for us to actually get into our action,” speaking of Clark’s absence, it really did not translate. 

With players struggling to manage the roles, a team that looked settled last week suddenly looked lost.

Sophie Cunningham says they were ‘gut-punched’ by the loss to Mystics

In the first game without her, the Fever fell to a team that they should have dominated. The Mystics are the most inexperienced team in the league; on the contrary, the Fever have the likes of DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sophie Cunningham. The backup point guard wasn’t mincing words about the state they were left in. 

“I think this was kind of a gut punch for us,” Cunningham said after the game. “We’re going to come back tomorrow at practice more focused, with more energy. We know where we want to be at the end of the season, but we’re not just going to get there.”

She had a disappointing game off the bench, contributing only 2 points and going 0-3 from the field in her 20 minutes. Cunningham was shining earlier, playing with Clark, but now has to adapt without her. Kelsey Mitchell also later added, “We got punched in the mouth early, it’s kind of humbling. Because it goes to show where you need to be.”

This was a wake-up call for the Fever, aiming for the title. Clark will be feeling helpless sitting on the sidelines for the first time in her career. They have the goods to play without her, but now have got to get back on the drawing board to figure out how to. This stretch without Clark could also serve as a defining moment. If they respond with resilience and tactical adjustments, it could spark the kind of growth that positions them as a tougher, more well-rounded team when she returns.

White had tried Cunningham at point guard in the preseason against the Mystics, so she might try that in the next game after seeing Colson struggle in this one. The 10-year vet will still be important off the bench, but Cunningham might just replace her in the starting lineup. They will next face the Connecticut Sun, who are yet to win a game this season.