SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Angel Reese is plenty accustomed to physical play, yet these WNBA Finals are at a different level even for the do-everything Atlanta Dream star.
Reese managed only eight shots and was held to seven points to go with 15 rebounds and five assists in a 64-55 Game 5 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Monday night while visibly showing her frustration with a handful of offensive foul calls against her.
Coach Karl Smesko took it further
and criticized the officiating, after crediting Golden State's sensational defense all series.
“But I do want to have Angel's back here. The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous, just ridiculous, and we should have gone to the foul line six to eight more times just on that,” he said. “And then to miss double-dribbles and travels, multiple, that always led to points, you can't be at this level and make that many mistakes.
"So there's things that are on us, we're missing shots we should make but at the same time that needs to be a whole lot better than it was. It's time that if you push somebody with two hands as they drive it's got to be a foul. And I'm kind of tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing.”
After one foul call in the second half, Reese held her hands up questioning what she had done wrong. She shook her head after an offensive foul call as well.
“Honestly for me, I’m still trying to figure out how to play through the physicality,” Reese said. “A lot of us are getting fouled and they’re not calling it or we’re talking to the ref after and they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll get you next time,’ so it is a little frustrating especially in the moment of it. I’m kind of used to it because this was happening throughout the season so I have to just continue to play through it, but honestly for my teammates when they’re getting slapped to the ground or goggles knocked off it is frustrating and trying to keep them in and keep them confident.”
With two defensive-minded teams, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase dismissed any chatter about the physicality of this series, saying “I ain't shocked about this.”
“It's the Finals this is it,” she said. “Both teams, they really want to win this.”
Reese was eager and ready to regroup again as the Dream head home to host Game 6 on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. EDT trying to stave off elimination and force a deciding Game 7 back in the Bay Area on Saturday.
“We'll figure it out,” Reese said. “We're going to have to continue to push through the physicality and hopefully those go our way next game.”
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