{"id":897565,"date":"2026-10-28T13:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/897565\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T13:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:38:12","slug":"angel-reese-went-from-taunting-golden-state-to-complaining-about-officiating-as-wnba-finals-shifted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/897565\/","title":{"rendered":"Angel Reese went from taunting Golden State to complaining about officiating as WNBA Finals shifted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following a dominant Game 3 performance in the WNBA Finals, Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese<\/a> wanted all the smoke.<\/p>\n

After posting 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 97-71 win at State Farm Arena, Reese taunted Golden State players<\/a> with a “too small” gesture. Atlanta had a 2-1 series lead, and Reese had combined for 51 points and 28 rebounds in consecutive victories.<\/p>\n

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WNBA PLAYERS, COACHES REFUSE TO EXPLAIN NATIONAL ANTHEM ABSENCES AMID MOUNTING CRITICISM<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Angel <\/p>\n

Angel Reese shifted from taunting Golden State to blaming officiating after back-to-back losses put the Atlanta Dream on the brink of elimination. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

By the end of Game 3, Reese had become the odds-on betting favorite to win Finals MVP.<\/p>\n

Two games later, it\u2019s Reese who looks small.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old forward combined for 15 points on 4-for-20 shooting in Games 4 and 5, both Atlanta losses. She committed nine turnovers, more than twice her four made field goals. What had been a 2-1 series advantage is now a 3-2 deficit, leaving Reese and the Dream one loss from elimination.<\/p>\n

WNBA FINALS GAME 6, A POTENTIAL TITLE-CLINCHER, WILL BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY<\/a><\/p>\n

Her tone has changed, too. After explaining how she was getting into Golden State\u2019s head, Reese is now complaining about the whistle.<\/p>\n

During Friday\u2019s media availability before Game 4, Reese sounded like a player who believed she had the Valkyries figured out.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019re playing into my mental game where I can take their confidence and just try to do whatever to mess them up,” Reese said.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m really confident within myself. Everybody knows that,” Reese said.<\/p>\n

\"Angel <\/p>\n

Angel Reese went from WNBA Finals MVP favorite to combining for 15 points on 4-for-20 shooting in Games 4 and 5 as the Atlanta Dream fell behind 3-2. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

At the time, she had the performances to back it up. Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 2, then followed with another double-double in Game 3<\/a>. Atlanta won those games by a combined 40 points.<\/p>\n

Then Reese and Atlanta got a harsh reminder that Golden State reached the WNBA Finals for a reason.<\/p>\n

Reese scored eight points on 2-for-12 shooting in Saturday\u2019s 67-62 loss at State Farm Arena. She missed her first five shots of the fourth quarter and committed her sixth turnover on Atlanta\u2019s final possession.<\/p>\n

ANGEL REESE’S LATEST WNBA CONTROVERSY SHOWS HOW VICTIMHOOD BECAME CENTRAL TO HER BRAND<\/a><\/p>\n

Afterward, she acknowledged that her finishing had been a problem.<\/p>\n

“I didn\u2019t take my time finishing around the basket like I\u2019ve been doing in the last two games,” Reese said.<\/p>\n

She added that “it happens” and promised, “I\u2019ll just be better.”<\/p>\n

But Reese didn’t play much better in Game 5.<\/p>\n

She finished with seven points on 2-for-8 shooting in Golden State\u2019s 64-55 Game 5 victory at Chase Center. Reese once again had more turnovers (3) than made field goals (2), although she did grab 15 rebounds and dish out five assists.<\/p>\n

Before Game 5, Reese drew attention<\/a> for arriving at Chase Center in a “Protect Black Women” shirt.<\/p>\n

\"Angel <\/p>\n

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream arrives at the arena before Game 5 of the 2026 WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. (NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After the game, Reese was less interested in saying that she should “be better.” Instead, she directed her frustration toward the referees.<\/p>\n

“A lot of us are getting fouled, and they\u2019re not calling it,” she said.<\/p>\n

Reese said the officiating had changed after Atlanta took its 2-1 series lead. She pointed to an uncalled grab by Gabby Williams in Game 4 and complained about being whistled for offensive fouls after defenders pushed her first.<\/p>\n

“It definitely took a big turn,” Reese said.<\/p>\n

Her coach backed her up.<\/p>\n

“The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous. Just ridiculous,” Karl Smesko said.<\/p>\n

Smesko argued that contact on Reese alone should have sent Atlanta to the foul line six to eight more times. He also complained about missed traveling and double-dribble violations<\/a>, while acknowledging that Atlanta was missing shots it should make.<\/p>\n

There were calls worth questioning, including a play in which Veronica Burton\u2019s arm hit Allisha Gray\u2019s head as Gray drove to the basket, knocking off her goggles without a foul call.<\/p>\n

But the free-throw numbers hardly tell the story of a series tilted toward Golden State.<\/p>\n

Atlanta attempted 31 free throws to Golden State\u2019s 13 in Game 4. The Dream missed nine of them in a five-point loss.<\/p>\n

In Game 5, Atlanta again had more attempts, 14-13. Eight of Golden State’s 13 free throws came in the fourth quarter, all with the Valkyries leading.<\/p>\n

Through five games, Atlanta\u2019s advantage in free throw attempts was 130-78.<\/p>\n

\"Angel <\/p>\n

Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream complained about the referees after Game 5 of the 2026 WNBA Finals. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

WNBA officiating has\u00a0faced criticism throughout the season<\/a>, so Reese and Smesko aren\u2019t alone in questioning its consistency.<\/p>\n

But no whistle changes Reese\u2019s four made baskets in two games.<\/p>\n

Angel Reese has more issues than questionable officiating<\/p>\n

Reese won the WNBA\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> award this season. But in these Finals, it\u2019s Kiah Stokes who is looking like the league\u2019s best defender, especially when Reese is trying to score against her.<\/p>\n

Stokes has blocked 17 shots through five games, already a WNBA Finals record. She has recorded at least three blocks in every game of the series, and her streak extends to six consecutive playoff games. Stokes tied Lisa Leslie\u2019s 2003 record for the longest such run in a single postseason.<\/p>\n

Reese has had 11 of her 59 shot attempts blocked through five games, including eight by Stokes. Those Valkyries blocks account for exactly one-third of Reese\u2019s 33 missed shots.<\/p>\n

\"Angel <\/p>\n

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese gets her shot blocked by Golden State Valkyries forward Kiah Stokes during Game 4 of the 2026 WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Golden State\u2019s center followed her 16-rebound, three-block Game 4 with 13 points, eight rebounds and three more blocks Monday. She made three three-pointers in Game 5, one more than Reese\u2019s total field goals.<\/p>\n

Across Atlanta\u2019s two losses, Stokes blocked six shots while Reese made four.<\/p>\n

Angel Reese was happy to tell Golden State how difficult she was to defend when Atlanta was winning. The Valkyries have since made her prove it, and she hasn\u2019t delivered offensively.<\/p>\n

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Game 6 is Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena, with Atlanta needing a win to force a deciding game in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Reese wants to be known as one of the best players in the WNBA, and those players are the ones who show up when the spotlight shines brightest.<\/p>\n

After Game 3, she was asked about joining the ranks<\/a> of Atlanta\u2019s sports greats. Reese said she had only been in the city six months, but explained how she measures greatness.<\/p>\n

“I think you become one of the greats \u2026 when you can win and impact winning,” Reese said.<\/p>\n

OUTKICK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE FOX NEWS APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD<\/a><\/p>\n

She did that in Games 2 and 3. But her last two performances aren\u2019t going to convince anyone that she belongs in that conversation right now.<\/p>\n

Dan Zaksheske is a reporter at OutKick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following a dominant Game 3 performance in the WNBA Finals, Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese wanted all the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":897566,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[3691,3444,2205,4804,259870,99,434],"class_list":["post-897565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-angel-reese","tag-atlanta-dream","tag-betting","tag-golden-state-valkyries","tag-outkick-sports","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}