This is not how the Mercury fans would have imagined their 2025 season ending. Satou Sabally- out with concussion, Kahleah Copper fouled out, Alyssa Thomas played with an injured shoulder, and to top off the Phoenix Mercury’s disappointing Finals exit, coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected with 2:41 left in the third quarter after a double-technical, something Tibbetts heartily disagreed with.

“To me, it’s embarrassing. I feel bad that I was tossed, I mean, I’ve been around this game a long time. I just think it’s one of the weakest double technicals ever. I didn’t even know that I got the second one, to be completely honest. I don’t understand it.” Tibbetts told the media after the game.

Tibbetts erupted after a no-call at one end was followed seconds later by a reach‑in whistle on Monique Akoa Makani. He went directly toward the official and voiced his disagreement, getting in her face, but without any contact. “No, he should not be ejected for that,” said ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo on the broadcast. “You should absolutely T him up, but absolutely not eject him for that.” Tibbets had already expressed his displeasure at the officiating in Game 3, but the do-or-die nature of Game 4 meant extra frustration. 

“I feel bad for our team, our fans, and my family. It wasn’t needed in my opinion. Now I’d love to hear their call. But yeah, it was weak, weak, weak. I mean, we’re playing for our playoff lives. I mean, most coaches when they get tossed, like you’re doing it on purpose, right? And that was not my intention at all. But, there’s been issues with the officiating all year. And to me, that’s… I don’t know. I’ll have to look at it. I feel like I didn’t deserve that, but yeah, I thought it was bull s***.” Tibbetts concluded. 

Well, the Mercury coach’s questions have been answered by Game 4 crew chief Roy Gulbeyan. “The first, what triggered the initial technical on Nate?” FOS reporter Annie Costabile asked in the Pool Report. “After a foul was called on Makani, Coach Tibbetts came onto the floor and yelled, ‘That’s f***ing terrible.’ After the first technical was assessed, Coach Tibbetts stepped in closer aggressively to the calling official and again yelled, ‘That’s f***ing terrible.’ At that point, a second technical was assessed, and he was ejected.” Gulbeyan answered. He also noted that those were two separate technical fouls for Tibbetts. 

From the referee’s perspective, this is a textbook case of ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’. According to the WNBA rule book, “A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as: (1) Disrespectfully addressing an official and (5) A coach entering the court without the permission of an official.” But is what Tibbetts said enough for it to be considered disrespect? Don’t get ahead yet, this rule is even more complicated. 

“Cursing or blaspheming an official shall not be considered the only cause for imposing technical fouls. Running tirades, continuous criticism, or griping may be sufficient cause to assess a technical. Excessive misconduct shall result in ejection from the game,” the rule book says. So Nate Tibbetts might have been saying such things throughout the game, which could have prompted the referees to eject him. If Gulbeyan based the decision solely on Tibbetts’ words, it’s bound to spark controversy, but if it reflected a pattern of his behavior, that’s a different story. Beyond this decision, the Mercury coach piled on the referees after the 0-4 sweep. 

Nate Tibbetts Points Out A’ja Wilson’s Special Whistle

A’ja Wilson has been in GOAT conversations, but at the same time, being accused of having a favorable whistle in the WNBA. Apparently, Aliyah Boston had accused Wilson of the same in private, which Wilson had fired back at after Game 4 of the semi-finals. “Aliyah did say I have a special whistle, and she shot 13 [free throws] today,” Wilson had said. Now the same accusation has resurfaced via Nate Tibbetts after Game 4 of the finals. 

“A’ja is a great player,” Tibbetts said. “But when someone is shooting that many free throws, it’s just tough. Obviously, we were frustrated. She shot as many free throws as our whole team. That’s tough to overcome.”

Wilson received 19 free throws on her way to her 34 points in Game 5, the same as the entire Mercury team. Wilson has received 102 free throws in this postseason, which is comfortably the most (40 more than 2nd place Satou Sabally). Even in the per-game format, she received  8.5 per game. In the regular season, she was given 7.9 free throws per game, which was also the most. 

So is Wilson favored by the referees? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Wilson is very good at drawing fouls, much like Shai Gilgeous Alexander in the NBA (in a very different way), but there are moments where you feel Wilson fooled the referees into giving the foul. There are moments where Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner have minimal or no contact, but the call is still given. Whether that can be attributed to Wilson having a special whistle depends on your perspective.