The New York Liberty's season ended with a 3-0 sweep against the Atlanta Dream, raising questions about a critical moment in Game 2 when the Liberty finished with an unused reset timeout. This situation arose from a disputed exchange between Breanna Stewart and referee Kevin Fahy that left the team without clarity in a high-stakes moment.
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In a recent episode of her No Hesitation podcast, Sophie Cunningham expressed her frustration regarding the lack of respect shown to players. After the Liberty's 101-98 overtime loss in Game 2, which resulted in a series score of 2-0—a deficit no WNBA team has ever overcome in a semifinal—Cunningham took issue with the league's failure to address the situation.
“We’re all still confused. What the hell happened there? You need someone at the head of the snake to set the tone... Not having any response... that’s just disrespectful,” Cunningham said, specifically calling out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. She noted the league's unstable leadership and questioned why the matter was not addressed more promptly.
The controversial moment occurred in the final seconds of overtime after the Liberty had tied the game with a three-pointer. With just seconds remaining, Stewart asked Fahy if they had a reset timeout available. Fahy, after checking with crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, reportedly informed Stewart that they did not. However, according to a WNBA pool report, Cissoko-Stephens contradicted Stewart's account, stating that the Liberty did indeed have a reset timeout remaining.
Adding to the confusion, during the game, teammates received mixed signals about the availability of a reset timeout, prompting a tense atmosphere among players and staff. Despite the situation, Liberty coach DeMarco acknowledged the team should have sought clearer communication regarding the rules.
The reset timeout, which allows a team to advance the ball within the final minutes of play, could have significantly shifted the game dynamics. Instead, the Liberty struggled to execute their final possession, resulting in a missed three-pointer and handing the Dream the victory.
Following the game, the Liberty submitted a formal inquiry, which led to a review by the WNBA. Though the league did provide some commentary addressing the officiating confusion before Game 3, Cunningham felt it fell short of her expectations for an acknowledgment of the miscommunication.
While a league statement confirmed Stewart's inquiry about the timeout and mentioned overlapping conversations among officials that contributed to the misunderstanding, it concluded that no further follow-up would occur on the issue. The Dream subsequently moved on to the WNBA Finals after sweeping the Liberty.