Last night [Thursday, Oct 20], the 20th WNBA season came to a close with a thrilling ending that will go down in WNBA history, with the L.A. Sparks winning 77-76. And while the Sparks will forever remember this great victory, the Minnesota Lynx and their fans will surely be bitter about the outcome of this game after a controversial call at the end of the game, which cost them the title.
With 1:12 left, Nneka Ogwumike, the league MVP, made a shot after an offensive rebound, but the ball was still in her hand after the shotclock went off. The officials let play continue, but signaled that they wanted to review the play. Once a timeout was called, it was discovered by the officials that the rules state they could not review the play because they let play continue. So understandably, the Lynx were frustrated by the rule, especially because they lost by one point.
What a finish to an amazing #WNBAFinals. The @LA_Sparks defeated the @MinnesotaLynx 77-76 behind 28-12 from #WNBAFinals MVP, @Candace_Parker pic.twitter.com/RyEQPymdKq
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 21, 2016
This win gave the Sparks their first title in 14 years, and it gave their superstar Candace Parker her first title. In the past, Parker had criticized her teammates for not stepping up in the playoffs, but she was very appreciative of her teammates after this game. Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds in game 5, and she earned the Finals MVP. Parker also dedicated the win to her late college coach Pat Summitt.
