Nakase calls out officiating after Valkyries lose big in Game 1 - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase made a plea for the league's officials to give her team a «fair fight» and a «clean fight» following a lopsided 101-72 loss against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series Sunday.

The Valkyries led 28-21 at the end of the first quarter, the result of a strong defensive effort (Minnesota missed 12 of 20 field goal attempts) and slick shooting (Golden State was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc). Then, the Lynx — the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and the team with the best offensive and defensive ratings in the WNBA — shook off their slow start to dominate the rest of the game.

But Nakase, who was given a technical foul for arguing a call in the second half, said the officiating impacted her team's ability to sustain its momentum after a strong first quarter.

«When Iliana Rupert [three fouls] is trying to fight for the rebound and she's getting called for a foul on a rebound, it takes our aggression away, and that's where I'm not OK with it,» she said. «I want a fair fight. I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out. They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair.

»And for me, that's why I got a [technical foul] because at what point is it going to be fair?"

Nakase added that the Lynx's status as the best team in the WNBA means it doesn't need a boost through officiating.

«We're playing the No. 1 team,» she said. «We're playing the best team in the league. They don't need no help. This team is great. They're stacked. They play well. They play beautiful basketball. They're coached well. They don't need the help.»

The Lynx ended the game with 23 team fouls and 24 free throw attempts, and the