Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas accuse the WNBA of ‘cheating’ to make NY Liberty champions against the Lynx

The New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals to capture the franchise’s first championship trophy. Although both teams fought valiantly, notable basketball personalities like Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas have questioned Liberty’s Overtime win at Barclays Center.

Lillard and Thomas joined many fans in accusing the WNBA of rigging the game in favor of the New York franchise. Both mentioned the referees’ suspect decisions in the second half, with many shocking decisions going in favor of Liberty.

After the game ended, Dame went to X to express his thoughts on what happened in the all-important Game 5. He wrote: “Refs called this play like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half, boy. Great game.”

Although Lillard only alluded to the alleged bias allegedly at play, Thomas didn’t hesitate to call out what he saw.

The Pistons legend tweeted: “They cheated quietly for NY but I understand lol.”

Now the accusations of cheating did not come out of the blue. There were several instances that raised such suspicions, such as the large difference in the number of free throws given to the two teams. The Liberty had 25 free throws throughout the game, making 21 of them. On the other hand, the Lynx were limited to just eight, of which they made seven.

This kind of difference is suspicious in a five-point game.

The fouls committed against the Lynx players were too outrageous for the fans to stomach, especially considering this was the WNBA Finals. Another major incident that infuriated fans was when Breanna Stewart’s obvious journey was not mentioned. On the same play, a foul was called on the Lynx even though Stewart had clearly made no mistake.

There is no conclusive evidence that the game was rigged in the Liberty’s favor. So anyone who expresses their opinion about what happened is simply speaking from their understanding of the game and what they saw. In that scenario, it’s hard to argue against two professional athletes believing outside factors were at play.

Plus, Liberty winning the title against Minnesota is certainly a more lucrative outcome. New York is a much bigger market compared to its competitors and Joe Tsai and his family have put a lot of money into the Liberty. The franchise features superstars like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, who can help the league bench win with their celebrity status.

However, all allegations are still just conjecture and we cannot definitively say without evidence that the league would go to such lengths to achieve the most desirable outcome. The bottom line is that the New York Liberty won their first title. Whether they are rigged or not, the record books will show that they are the 2024 champions.