The Atlanta Dream have struggled to recapture the form that initially helped them win two games in the WNBA Finals, and now find themselves facing elimination at home in Game 6.
On Monday night, they fell 64-55 to the Golden State Valkyries, putting the second-year franchise just one win away from their first championship. The Valkyries capitalized on the Dream's 15 turnovers, scoring 21 points off them, and also shot at a 39.3% field goal rate for the game.
However, one of Atlanta's biggest frustrations after the loss involved the officiating, particularly the physical contact that Reese and her teammates believe has gone uncalled for a portion of the series.
"I'm still trying to figure out how to play through the physicality," she said at the postgame media session. "A lot of us are getting fouled, and they're not calling it, or we're talking to the ref after, and they're saying, 'Oh, we'll get you next time.' So it is a little frustrating especially in the moment of it.
"I mean, I'm kind of used to it because it's been happening throughout the season, so I just have to continue to play through it," Reese said. "Obviously, for my teammates, when they're getting goggles slapped off or knocked to the ground, it is kind of frustrating."
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Reese shot just 2-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 free throws to finish with seven points. She helped her team with 15 rebounds and five assists, but also had four personal fouls.
She referenced a previous play in the series where the Valkyries' Gabby Williams was clearly trying to foul her and even "screaming foul, foul, foul," but the officials didn't call it.
"So that is frustrating for sure. It definitely shifted when we went up 2-1 and things shifted and I don't know what happened, but it definitely took a big turn," Reese said, suggesting the officiating has changed as the series progressed.
Dream head coach Karl Smesko echoed Reese's frustrations about the officiating, something he has pointed out during the regular season regarding Reese. Smesko sounded off on the referees after the loss.
"The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous, just ridiculous. And we should have gone to the foul line six to eight more times just on that, and then to miss double dribbles and travels, multiple times that always led to points? Man, you can't be at this level and make that many mistakes. I'm kind of tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing," he said.
Despite the apparent frustrations about how the officials are calling their games, Reese still sent a strong message about her team's chances of winning their first championship.
In addition to playing through the physicality and without the calls they wanted, she mentioned that her team needs to shoot better. The Dream finished Game 5 with a disappointing 29.2% field goal percentage.
"Obviously, we've struggled making shots, but I still believe in our team. I still believe we can win this, but one game at a time," Reese also said.
It's now become a must-win situation for the Dream, and on their home court. Adding to the drama is the unusual scheduling situation in Atlanta. The game was moved to an unusual afternoon start time to allow the team to play in State Farm Arena before the Atlanta Hawks' NBA game there that evening.
The Dream play the Valkyries in Game 6 on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:30 p.m. ET.
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