The Minnesota Lynx joined an unfortunate club on Sunday when they suffered a season-ending 86-81 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals.
The Lynx became just the third team in league history to win at least 77 percent of their regular season games but fail to reach the WNBA Finals, as an injury to star forward Napheesa Collier and a suspension for head coach Cheryl Reeve contributed to Minnesota's earlier-than-expected playoff exit.
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Collier on Tuesday gave her exit interview back in Minnesota, after she missed Game 4 against the Mercury with a suspected left ankle sprain. The play on which Collier was injured continues to spark debate; it led to Reeve getting ejected from Game 3, and her comments in the post-game press conference led to the WNBA suspending her from Game 4 before imposing a $15,000 fine.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon were each fined $1,000 for expressing solidarity with Reeve. And Collier is expecting a fine herself, if her exit interview is anything to go by.
"Seems like all of free speech is being fined right now," Collier said.
Collier insisted her problem is not with WNBA fans, her teammates, or the league's other stars. But she believes the WNBA's leadership -- right up to commissioner Cathy Engelbert -- has been "negligent" in protecting the people whose labor generates their revenue.
And against the backdrop of contentious collective bargaining negotiations, Collier -- the MVP runner-up who is widely recognized as one of the WNBA's top players -- is lighting a fuse as coaches and players alike continue to express discontent with how the league is being run.
"(The WNBA has) the best fans in the world, the best players in the world, but the worst leadership in the world," Collier said.
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