Tibbetts Ejected in WNBA Finals: Controversy Over Refereeing in Mercury’s Defeat

Nate Tibbetts, Ejected in the Final: “It was a Shame”

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts starred in an unusual moment in the team’s 97-86 loss to the Aces in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. Tibbetts was ejected, becoming the first coach in league history to be disqualified in a Finals game. The situation unfolded with 2:41 minutes left in the third quarter, when Tibbetts received two consecutive technical fouls for protesting a referee’s decision. Visibly frustrated, the coach expressed his discontent with the refereeing performance.

“For me, it’s simply embarrassing,” Tibbetts declared. “I feel bad for having been ejected. I’ve been in this game a long time. I think it’s one of the weakest technical fouls I’ve ever seen. I didn’t even know I’d been called for the second one, to be completely honest. I just don’t understand it.”

Nate Tibbetts

According to the head of the refereeing team, Roy Gulbeyan, Tibbetts received the first technical foul for saying “That’s bullshit”, after a foul called on Mercury player Monique Akoa Makani. Subsequently, Tibbetts approached the referee and repeated the phrase, which resulted in the second technical foul and automatic ejection. In addition to Tibbetts, players Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner also received technicals in the final quarter. Bonner was sanctioned for a “momentary reaction,” while Copper was penalized for using offensive language and aggressively approaching the referee after a foul.

“There have been problems with the refereeing all year,” Tibbetts commented.

Nate Tibbetts

Tibbetts highlighted the disparity in free throws between the Mercury and the Aces in the fourth game. Phoenix attempted 19 free throws, while Las Vegas had 35, including 19 from Finals MVP A’ja Wilson.

Despite complaints about the refereeing, the Mercury did not attribute the loss exclusively to this factor. Copper stated that the team takes responsibility for its actions.

The main problem for Phoenix was the loss of 26 points due to 18 turnovers. Once again, the Mercury found themselves in a 20-point deficit, a situation that became recurrent during the playoffs. In Game 2 of the semifinals against the Minnesota Lynx, the Mercury came back from a 20-point deficit to win. In Game 3 of that series, they also achieved victory after being down by 17. In Game 3 of the Finals, they were down 17 points again. However, against the Aces, they failed to generate the production needed to complete the comeback. In Friday’s game, the Mercury cut the 20-point deficit to six, immediately after Tibbetts was ejected. For Copper, that momentum was a reflection of the team’s season.

“It’s another form of adversity in the year,” Copper said. “Let’s just add it. Let’s play harder. That’s what it’s about. When you talk about Mercury basketball, when you talk about the Phoenix Mercury, we’re never going to give up. We’re going to give it our all. We can handle whatever they throw at us.”

Kahleah Copper

Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts received two technical fouls in Friday’s game, becoming the first coach in Finals history to be ejected from a game.