“All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on,” Reeve said. “Bring it on. Because this s— was stolen from us. Bring it on.” Those were Cheryl Reeve’s words after watching her team lose Game 5 of the Finals to the Liberty. Fast forward a year, and in a time when officiating mistakes are under the spotlight, it was Reeve’s Lynx who benefited from a few calls. This is what coach Natalie Nakase believes.

The Valkyries got off to a dream start, leading by 7 after the first quarter. But everything flipped in the second. Minnesota went to the free-throw line 11 times, while the Valkyries had just one attempt. From that point on, the game completely shifted — the Lynx outscored them 80-44 and never looked back.

“I thought we were playing beautiful basketball and then all of a sudden the fouls get called consecutively. It wasn’t that the fouls are balanced, the fouls are getting called when we’re on a run, and it shifts the momentum,” coach Nakase said after painfully watching the Lynx rout the Valkyries 101-72.

During the game, Nakase’s frustration boiled over, and she was even hit with a technical in the second half for arguing with the officials. What really set her off were the foul calls on Iliana Rupert, who picked up three personals while battling on the boards. When that happens, it’s tough to establish authority with key players stuck in foul trouble.

Coach Cheryl Reeve, however, noted that something shifted with the officials in the second half. She said the crew told her they were going to call all of the obvious fouls after the break. Still, she was quick to brush off the idea that it gave the Lynx any added advantage.

“I have to go back and look at the video because again, both teams are physical,” Reeve said. “Do you get called for every foul? No. I mean that’s not possible for them either. So I mean, I understand it, but it’s the playoffs and obviously, we fouled a lot at the end, but I didn’t think that was a factor in the game though.”

The Valkyries ended the night with 22 fouls and 27 free throw attempts, while the Lynx had 23 fouls and 24 attempts. So it’s fair to say the whistles weren’t one-sided. Officiating may have played a part, but the real difference was in execution. The Lynx shot 51.5% from the field compared to the Valkyries’ 33.9%.

But in true Cheryl Reeve fashion, the coach went on to make WNBA history once again!

Cheryl Reeve creates WNBA history

With four WNBA titles and four Coach of the Year awards, Cheryl Reeve has long been the cornerstone of the Minnesota Lynx dynasty. She’s the steady hand behind their success, the face of their culture, and the reason the franchise has stayed at the top for so long. And tonight, after the Lynx’s win over the Valkyries, Reeve added yet another chapter to her incredible legacy by making history once again.

According to Mitchell Hansen of SB Nation, tonight’s Game 1 win marked a historic milestone for Cheryl Reeve. With the victory, she became the all-time winningest coach in WNBA history. Combining regular season and postseason triumphs, Reeve now sits at 414 wins, surpassing Mike Thibault’s 413.

The Lynx are on a mission to get revenge for what went down last year. Right now, they look like the best team in the league — no questions asked. And with Cheryl Reeve steering the ship, they know they’re in safe hands. The ultimate goal is a championship, of course, but for now, it’s all about one thing: beating the Valkyries and moving forward.