Tibbetts Ejected in WNBA Finals: Strong Criticism of Refereeing and Mercury’s Defeat

Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts Ejected in WNBA Finals

In a moment of tension during the fourth game of the WNBA Finals, Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected, marking a milestone in league history. The Mercury’s defeat to the Aces with a score of 97-86 was marked by controversy. Tibbetts received two consecutive technical fouls in the third quarter, resulting in his ejection, an unprecedented event in the history of the Finals.

For me, this is simply embarrassing. I feel bad for having been ejected. I’ve been in this game a long time. I think it’s one of the weakest double technicals I’ve seen.

Nate Tibbetts

According to Roy Gulbeyan, the head of the refereeing team, Tibbetts’ first technical foul occurred after a referee’s call, which provoked an immediate reaction from the coach. The second technical foul and subsequent ejection were due to the reiteration of his protests. In addition to Tibbetts, players Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner also received technical fouls in the fourth quarter. Bonner’s was for a heated reaction to an officiating decision, while Copper was penalized for protesting a foul. Tibbetts pointed out the disparity in free throws between the Mercury and the Aces as another point of frustration, highlighting the number of free throws by A’ja Wilson.

Caption: Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts received two technical fouls late in Friday’s Game 4, becoming the first coach in Finals history to be ejected from a game.Despite the problems, the Mercury did not attribute its defeat to the arbitrations. The team highlighted that their biggest problem was the 18 turnovers, which allowed the Aces to score 26 points. Despite the adversity, the team stood firm, demonstrating their fighting spirit by closing a 20-point gap.