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Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury have been battling it out with Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA semifinals. Throughout the series, Thomas and Collier have traded trash talk.
During a virtual sit-down with Caroline Fenton of Yahoo! Sports prior to Game 3, Thomas was asked if she was willing to elaborate on any of the trash talk that had been shared between the two teams through the first two games.
"No, no, no, nothing," she responded with a laugh. "Nothing of importance."
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Thomas was then asked who the best trash talker in the league is. In response, she stated that her fellow players had voted her the best trash talker in the league, and she was fine with keeping the label.
Late in Game 3, Thomas stole the ball from Collier and scored a breakaway layup to secure the win and give the Mercury a 2-1 series lead. The play led to Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve being ejected after fierce criticism of the officials.
Cheryl Reeve unloads on referees for viral Alyssa Thomas-Napheesa Collier play
Following the controversial late-game play that saw Alyssa Thomas steal Game 3 for the Mercury, Cheryl Reeve spoke to members of the press moments after being ejected.
Reeve unloaded on the officials, calling for a change in leadership:
"If this is what the league wants, OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinal-playoff worthy, it's f*****g malpractice.
"We were trying to play through it, trying not to make excuses. But one of the best players in the league, she had zero free throws and she had five fouls. She had her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out."
Considering her harsh criticism of the situation and the officials, Reeve could face a fine from the league. It's important to note, however, that Reeve was not fined for her criticism of the officiating in Game 5 of last year's WNBA Finals.
