Disappointing officiating taints otherwise spectacular WNBA Finals

So that is the play you don't review?

That one?

The possible shot clock violation with 1:14 left and a tie score in the final and deciding game of a championship series? That play?

The WNBA usually reviews every play with even a tinge of uncertainty. And I mean every play. It's almost laughable (and extremely annoying) how many plays get reviewed in the average WNBA game.

But this one doesn't? This one? Why?

Not good optics for the league on its biggest stage.

I'm happy that former Naperville Central product Candace Parker got her first WNBA championship on Thursday night. But the victory by Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks over the Minnesota Lynx is certainly not without controversy. And what a shame that is.

Disappointing officiating tainted what was otherwise a spectacular fifth and final game of the WNBA Finals in a packed Target Center in Minneapolis.

Maybe the Sparks would have won the title anyway. But maybe not. The play in question was a pivotal one.

Los Angeles forward Nneka Ogwumike gave the Sparks a 73-71 lead with 1:14 left on a baseline jumper that was questionable even in real time as to whether it left her hand before the shot clock expired.

According to WNBA rules, in the final two minutes of a game, plays are only reviewable immediately. Once the ball is back in play, the play in question cannot be reviewed.

Various reports indicate that at least one official was immediately making a signal to review the play, but the ball was allowed to go back in play, time ticked off the clock and that was that. Minnesota called a timeout about 30 seconds later, and head coach Cheryl Reeve was clearly asking to have the play reviewed. But it wasn't.

A few baskets were exchanged between the two teams in the remaining moments before Ogwumike came up with an even bigger basket, a legitimate one. She missed a shot, came up with her own rebound and muscled in a putback under the basket while falling down backward to give the Sparks a 77-76 lead with 2.1 seconds remaining.

Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen heaved a desperation half-court shot at the buzzer that missed. And Los Angeles celebrated its first WNBA title since 2002.

Officials Tom Nunez, Eric Brewton and Amy Bonner are probably decent officials. One would think they are among the best in the WNBA, since they were assigned to the final game of the championship series. But they missed the mark on this one, and I can't blame Reeve one bit for going off in the postgame news conference.

Reeve was classy, and gave credit to the Sparks, and acknowledged that the Sparks may have won the game anyway, even if there had been a review of Ogwumike's shot. But her remarks were pointed and critical, as they should have been.

I think, in general, WNBA officiating is suspect, and this misstep seemed to illustrate that on the highest stage.

"The game today, it's not fair to the players," Reeve said. "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 (Ogwumike's shot) was reviewable at the time when she shot it," Reeve said. "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.

"Just get the simple things right. The simple things … a shot clock violation. And we'll live with the other stuff that happens in the game."

Not that it matters now, but the WNBA did put out a statement, a memo as Reeve likes to call it, on Friday indicating that Ogwumike's shot did not count.

"After reviewing postgame video, we have determined that Nneka Ogwumike's shot with 1:14 remaining 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," read a statement from WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations Renee Brown.

Oopsie daisies!

I love the WNBA and its athletes and I think the league never gets enough credit for its entertainment value.

But this situation makes the league seem amateurish.

And there were other issues on Thursday night, too.

I'm not sure how much thought went into the scheduling of Game 5, but to have it up against Game 5 of the National League championship series between the Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, not to mention a Bears-Packers game was unfortunate to say the least.

The WNBA is always fighting an uphill battle, with haters and detractors and doubters trying to pull it down. Friendly TV slots, calls that preserve the integrity of the game … these are the things that the league needs to get right. Every time.

The basics, the little things, as Reeve pleads, get those right. Please.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw