Bad officiating spoiled an instant classic WNBA Finals Game 5

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate your time.
Your New York Liberty are WNBA champions for the first time in the franchise’s 28 years of existence, folks. The team finally reached the pinnacle of the sport.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: 11 photos of the Liberty celebrating their first WNBA championship
Breanna Stewart is a champion for the third time in her WNBA career. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu both just won their first. JJ came away with the Finals MVP — rightfully so. She was the Liberty’s best player throughout this series that’d been filled with twists and turns for both sides through all five games.
Both teams played excellent ball all the way through. It was legitimately some of the most entertaining (though not the prettiest!) basketball I’ve seen.
That’s why it’s such a shame that the biggest story coming out of Game 5 was the officiating.
Now, look. Before I say anything else, there’s no debating that this championship was hard-earned by the Liberty. There’s no taking that from them and that’s not something I’d ever try to do.
That said, Cheryl Reeve is right — putrid officiating stole Game 5 from the Lynx.
The missed travel and foul call on the Liberty’s final offensive possession of regulation is at the center of the conversation. Alanna Smith being called for a foul here is particularly egregious, considering the physical tone set throughout the rest of the game.
This very clearly impacted the game. Had that final possession been officiated correctly, we’re probably talking about a different result here. And this isn’t a Game 1 or Game 2 we’re talking about here — it’s a Game 5. This was the pinnacle. The season was in the balance. When that’s the case, you always want the finish to be determined by the players.
Unfortunately, that’s just not what happened here. And that’s what’s driving the conversation today instead of how awesome the series was.
It doesn’t take away the Liberty’s championship — nothing can ever do that. Nobody should try. There’s no such thing as an asterisk next to a ring, folks.
But, as a neutral observer, seeing an awesome season end like that was more than a bit disappointing.
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Every tweet about the Yankees-Dodgers series we’re about to get being the thing that tears the Dallas Cowboys’ fanbase apart is hilarious.
Yet, I’m pretty sure it’s accurate. I don’t have the stats to back that up, but I’ve never met a Cowboys fan who wasn’t also a Yankees fan. And I’ve never met a Dodgers fan who cared enough about football in Los Angeles.
Ok. Enough roasting the ‘Boys. Let’s talk about this awesome World Series we’re about to get.
You rarely get the two best players in a league going head-to-head in a championship clash. It’s hard to make that happen. Think about all the times we missed a Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James NBA Finals.
We’re getting Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge, folks. And, hopefully, it’s everything we think it’ll be.
The stakes are high here for both sides.
— This is Ohtani’s very first playoff experience and he and the Dodgers have gone back to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 2020.
— Meanwhile, Judge and the Yankees are trying to win their first World Series since 2009.
This is where we all thought we’d end up. These two teams have been the best in baseball for the entire season. Their battling for supremacy in the end feels right.
Good thing the Liberty won a championship on Sunday because, otherwise, the Giants and Jets might still be getting roasted today.
The Giants only had 119 yards in total on Sunday when the Eagles came to New York. Saquon Barkley finished the game with 176 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Saquon Barkley > The New York Giants. That’s the guy they let walk out the door.
On the other hand, the Jets traded for Davante Adams last week. But, as it turns out, Davante Adams doesn’t play defense. So Russell Wilson and the Steelers hung up 37 points on New York after it traded for a receiver that was supposed to fix everything.
NO EXCUSES: Firing Robert Saleh and trading for Adams was not the magic fix the Jets thought it’d be
The Jets and Giants have a combined record of 4-10 right now. Drew Lock might be starting games for the Giants soon.
Maybe just focus on the Yankees now, New York. Check back in on the NFL next year.
— Prince Grimes says the Liberty are the favorites to win the title again in 2025, but the Lynx are the better bet.
— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with the grossest QB performances of Week 7. Hi, Brock Purdy.
— Here’s Christian again with everything we learned from Week 7 in the NFL.
— The stars were out for Game 5 between the Liberty and Lynx. Meg Hall has more.
— Jayden Daniels has a worrisome rib injury. Andrew Joseph has more.
— Hologram Tom Brady is just as bad as real Tom Brady at broadcast work. Here’s Robert Zeglinski with more.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Happy Monday! Peace.
-Sykes ✌️