WNBA playoffs: Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve reportedly ‘ran up’ on Sun players over postgame celebration

The Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx played Game 3 of their WNBA semifinal series Friday. There was apparently some additional tension behind the scenes.

As the two teams played, Ben Pickman and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve confronted Sun players near the locker room Sunday after Connecticut’s win in Game 1. Reeve, a four-time WNBA champion and Coach of the Year, reportedly had an issue with how the Sun celebrated their win.

One person reportedly said Reeve “ran up” on the Sun players and that Target Center security needed to get involved to defuse the situation.

If there was something that specifically set Reeve off, it’s hard to find it in an on-court replay. After Napheesa Collier’s attempt at a game-tying 3-point buzzer beater clanked off the backboard, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas both unleashed screams of victory, but they weren’t directed at any Lynx players in particular.

The team then congregated while Reeve shook hands with Sun coach Stephanie White and walked toward the tunnel, by the Sun huddle. Of course, not everything is caught on camera, especially away from the court.

The reported confrontation might be why Game 2 became so chippy. In a heated and physical game, the Lynx took Game 2 with a strong defensive effort. It was their first home win against the Sun in eight games.

Reeve is by far the longest-tenured coach in the WNBA. After Reeve’s hire in 2009, the next-closest coach is the Seattle Storm’s Noelle, who was hired in May 2021. Reeve possesses a considerable amount of influence in the rising league, and recently coached the U.S. national team to gold medals in both the Olympics and FIBA World Cup.

Thomas played on both of those teams.

While more eyes might be pointed at the semifinal series featuring a WNBA Finals rematch between the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and WNBA-best New York Liberty, the Sun-Lynx series is nothing close to a dud. The two teams ranked first and second in the WNBA in defensive rating during the regular season and feature plenty of veteran talent like Collier, Thomas and Bonner.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Connecticut, with the time TBD.