Nate Tibbetts once said, “We haven’t talked about the officiating all playoffs. We just play and we’re worried about us”. His statement came amidst a rise of criticism against the referees over how they made certain calls. From Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham getting fined to Cheryl Reeve getting ejected from one game and then suspended from the next, people face the wrath after speaking out against the referees.

By publicly expressing faith in the referees, the Phoenix Mercury head coach had managed to steer clear of that turmoil. Well, until now. After three straight losses, that confidence appears to be slipping, and Tibbetts may soon find himself testing the same boundaries he once avoided.

Nate Tibbetts spoke to media members after Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. During the same, he was asked about his thoughts on the officiating. The reporter made sure to add “without getting fined”. Tibbetts called his squad a competitive group that often resorts to physicality. Despite that, according to him, the team’s star player, Alyssa Thomas, has gotten downhill and gotten into the paint quite a few times “without getting rewarded”. It is a situation that he believes isn’t something he can do anything about. “So, you just got to keep battling. You know, you’d love to have consistency (with officiating), but, you know, it’s not always the case.”

This isn’t the first time the head coach has criticized the officiating over Alyssa Thomas. After Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Finals, Tibbetts addressed the player’s physicality by saying, “There is no holding back AT (Thomas). She is who she is. That’s why we love her. That’s why she’s the player that she is. The thing that I just get disappointed in is hearing our officials say that she’s hard to officiate because she plays so physical. AT is going to be AT. We want her to be AT because she’s a hell of a player. We want her playing with that downhill force.”

Alyssa Thomas has a reputation for making physical plays. Even her WNBA teammate and fiancée, DeWanna Bonner, said, “She wants to win. She wants to win the championship bad. She’ll do whatever it takes.” Becky Hammon, the Las Vegas Aces head coach, only recently stated that “Alyssa Thomas is the one player in the league that could probably switch and play professional football. I can’t really simulate her. … She’s just a different animal in our league.”

However, those physical plays aren’t rewarding the Mercury power forward as much as they did earlier. During Game 2, Thomas was on the court for 30 minutes, but could only score 10 points, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. She shot only 5-9 (55.6%) field goals, 0-0 (0%) 3-pointers, and 0-0 (0%) free throws.

In Game 3, Thomas was once again contained. Though she came close to a triple-double with her 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, A’ja Wilson was credited with putting Thomas in foul trouble. This, in turn, limited her aggressiveness on both ends down the stretch. When comparing it to the 20.3 points that Thomas averaged in the Semi-Finals series against the Minnesota Lynx, and the 16.3 points she averaged in the first round series against the New York Liberty, one sees a downfall. The referees haven’t been as big an ally to the Mercury star as before.

Nate Tibbetts’ remarks came after even the Phoenix Mercury fans took a stance against the officiating. By the time the Aces were leading 82-72 in Game 3 at the PHX arena, fans could be heard chanting “Refs, You S—! Refs, You S—!” in unison. Then again, as mentioned, there is nothing Nate Tibbetts can do about it. One has to just go with the flow.

The fact that her player is not getting her way has compelled Tibbetts to finally speak out against the officiating. However, complaining can only get you so far. Therefore, for the next matchup, Tibbetts is looking to push the negative to the side and bring in a message of hope.

Nate Tibbetts Urges Mercury Players To Keep “Certain Level Of Pride”

If this Aces-Mercury tournament had happened last year, the Phoenix Mercury players would have already been in despair about getting eliminated. However, for the first time in WNBA history, the Finals are a ‘Best of 7’ series. This means that Alyssa Thomas and co can still build a win streak. However, being down 0-3, and with star player Satou Sabally out due to a concussion, the chances are as low as they can get. Despite that, Nate Tibbetts isn’t giving up.

During the post-game presser, ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou asked the head coach about what the biggest things he wants to see from his team.

Tibbetts replied, “I don’t know how many teams have come down from 03. Not many, right? So, I’m not going to sugarcoat that. Uh it’s we got a tough road ahead, but we got to take it one game at a time. Um, like I said, this group has been a group that has continued to compete at a high level. Um, you know, we’re going to expect that we’re in front of our fans, Uh, you know, we’ve got a certain level of pride that we’re going to continue to keep fighting.”

Tibbetts has already announced that he would be making some changes to Mercury’s defensive strategy. The Phoenix Mercury had seen major defensive breakdowns in the previous matchups, but the players and the coach gave reassurance that they would work on that. The Aces erasing a 17-point deficit spoke otherwise.

Now, Tibbetts aims for his player to go one-on-one. As he explained, “Us showing bodies to their great players hasn’t been to the level that we need to right, and so uh it’s not a one-on-one matchup. It’s…. it’s five on five and and we need to do a better job of understanding that.”

Do you believe Nate Tibbetts and co can pull off a miracle with a Game 4 win? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.