WNBA admits missed shot clock violation call in Finals Game 5


The WNBA released a statement regarding a missed shot clock violation call in Game 5 of the Finals between the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx last Thursday which proved to be vital.

According to WNBA Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations Renee Brown, the league has "determined that Nneka Ogwumike's shot with 1:14 left in regulation time should not have counted due to a shot-clock violation and that the referees improperly failed to review the play under the instant replay rules."

Ogwumike's basket counted during that time and gave the Sparks a 73-71 lead. The Sparks eventually won the game, 77-76 to win their first title since going back to back in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Lynx head coach was very disappointed about the officiating and said that it was "not fair to the players" during the post-game press conference.


Reeve said per Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press:
"It's really unfortunate that players continually put themselves out there, playing and competing at a really high level ... Whether it was the 8-second call in L.A. or the game today, doesn't matter, OK? The game today, it's not fair to the players. It's not enough just to apologize or send out a memo that they got something wrong, OK? These players are so invested, and something must be done about the officiating in this league because it's not fair to these great players we have." 
"It was reviewable at the time when she shot it ... The referees at that point didn't think anything was wrong. They didn't understand it was the end of the clock. They didn't hear the shot clock. When they put the ball in play, the play is no longer reviewable."
Reeve made it clear that she was not taking anything away from the Sparks' championship.

In Game 4, officials also missed a crucial backcourt violation call. The league admitted the mistake a day after.

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