When Mercury head coach entered Game 4 of the 2025 Finals, emotions were already running high. And finally, it reached a breaking point as Nate Tibbetts, known for his composed demeanor, found himself ejected after a heated confrontation with refs in the third quarter. But how did a coach, who rarely let frustration show, end up on the wrong side of the rulebook?

Well, the context matters. When the Mercury played Game 4 in front of X Factor, they were down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series against Las Vegas. This meant every possession was crucial, and every foul could tilt the momentum further toward the Aces. So, Tibbetts was extra cautious, and with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter, it showed when Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani was called for a personal foul against Aces guard Dana Evans.

At that moment, Phoenix trailed by 68-54, and the frustration of watching a critical foul against his team boiled over for the head coach. Tibbetts then got into referee Gina Cross’ face and argued the call. As a result, Cross issued a double technical on the HC, which meant an immediate ejection. But Tibbetts did not leave immediately, as he looked confused about what had just happened.

Simply because he made no contact with the ref. But, eventually, he walked off the court and up to the tunnel to exit the game. In his absence, former WNBA champion Kristi Toliver led the squad. But the Tibbetts still ensured to keep her perspective, and what’s better than a post-game press conference for that?

So when asked about officiating, he said, “I can’t remember what I said and I probably don’t need to repeat it… The inconsistencies night to night, yeah, in a closeout game for them to shoot 35 free throws, it’s not ideal. I thought early in the playoffs, they let teams play a little bit more. But tonight that was not the case,” And yes, it all does make sense.

While the Aces went to the free-throw line 35 times, resulting in 29 points, the Mercury got just 19 free throws, making 17 of them. So clearly, Aces had better shooting accuracy from the line, but they weren’t the ones capitalizing on it. And the thing that made the difference was fouls — 25-16, including three technicals for Phoenix. Not just the head coach, but later in the fourth quarter, even center Bonner was called for a technical. She was stripped of the ball while trying to corral an offensive rebound.

Copper was next, and for her, it came with less than two minutes remaining in the game. “I think the refs aren’t doing a good job tonight, I’m sorry,…But we’ve just got to keep our heads,” she shared in the postgame press conference. That was how, despite rallying to close a 20-point deficit to six after Tibbetts left, the Mercury lost to the Aces 97-86 in Game 4 of the Finals. Now, you might say this is a similar storyline for each Finals game, right?

But Nate Tibbetts is a bit different!

Throughout the playoffs, Tibbetts stayed calm and composed, guiding underdogs. “We haven’t talked about the officiating in all the playoffs. We just play and we’re worried about us,” he said after Game 3 of the semifinals against the Lynx. Yes, it was the same game that saw Napheesa Collier go down with a torn ligament and Reeve get ejected.

But now it seems karma hit back, and Tibbetts joined the coaches. “Just consistency across the board….Again, I came from a league (the NBA) that I thought there was real direction and growth in continuity as staffs. There’s change in this league. The product is continuing to get better, there’s more eyes on it. I think the officiating has to grow with the league,” he shared in the postgame press conference.

And yes, he isn’t the only head coach in the Finals who’s been firing back at refs. Just last year, Cheryl Reeve openly said the championship title was “stolen” from her team while highlighting the clear disparity in free throws. So yes, it feels like déjà vu. And, as Collier recalled Cathy Engelbert’s comment, “Only the losers complain about the referees.”, Tibbetts’ ejection offers a brand-new perspective on it! What do you think?