Tibbetts: Ejection in closeout G4 'weak,' unmerited

PHOENIX -- Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts stood at center court, dumbfounded. With 2:41 left in the third quarter of Phoenix's 97-86 Game 4 loss in the WNBA Finals on Friday night, he received two quick technical fouls for arguing a foul call, becoming the first coach in league history to be ejected in a Finals game.

"To me, it's just embarrassing," Tibbetts said. "I feel bad that I was tossed. I mean, I've been around this game a long time. I think it's one of the weakest double technicals ever. I didn't even know that I got the second one, to be completely honest. I just don't understand it.

"I feel bad for our team, our fans, my family. Like, it wasn't needed in my opinion."

Crew chief Roy Gulbeyan told a pool reporter afterward that Tibbetts earned his first technical after saying, "That's f---ing terrible," after a foul was called on Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani. According to Gulbeyan, Tibbetts then stepped in closer toward the official and again yelled, "That's f---ing terrible," drawing the second technical for an automatic ejection.

"It's weak, weak, weak," Tibbetts said. "We were playing for our playoff lives. Most coaches, when they get tossed, you're doing it on purpose. That wasn't my intention at all. ... I didn't feel like I deserved it at all. ... It was bulls---."

Mercury players Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner were also assessed technicals in the fourth quarter. Gulbeyan said Bonner's was because of a "heat-of-the-moment reaction," including protesting a no-call and overtly air-punching at an official.

Copper was given a tech after she was assessed a loose-ball foul and yelled a profanity after she "aggressively approached the calling official."

"There have been issues with officiating all year," Tibbetts said.

Tibbetts pointed out the free throw discrepancy between the Mercury and Aces in Game 4. Phoenix attempted 18 compared with 31 for Las Vegas, including 19 from Finals MVP A'ja Wilson.

"A'ja is a great player," Tibbetts said. "But when someone is shooting that many free throws, it's just tough. Obviously, we were frustrated. She shot as many free throws as our whole team. That's tough to overcome.

"Tonight, I mean, it's a closeout game for them, and they shoot [31] free throws. Early in the playoffs, they let teams play a bit more. But tonight, that was not the case."

Tibbetts said his biggest issue with the officiating has been the inconsistency. Alyssa Thomas agreed, saying that consistent officiating is the biggest change needed in the WNBA.

"It's been the message all season long," Thomas said. "We've been asking for it for years. But it is what it is. It's unfortunate to get to this stage."

Added Tibbetts: "There is a change in this league. The product is continuing to get better. There are more eyes on it. Officiating has to grow with the league."

Despite their issues, the Mercury said they didn't attribute their loss to the officiating.

"It's cool. It's done," Copper said. "We don't even have to talk about it. That's not what the wins and the losses are about. One thing about us is that we are going to hold ourselves accountable."

Instead, Phoenix's biggest issue was the 26 points it allowed off 18 turnovers. Once again, the Mercury put themselves in a 20-point hole, a deficit they became familiar with throughout the playoffs.

In Game 2 of the semifinals against the Minnesota Lynx, the Mercury erased a 20-point deficit to win. In Game 3 of that series, they won after trailing by 17.

In Game 3 of the Finals, they trailed by 17 again. Against the Aces, however, they couldn't get enough production to complete the comeback.

On Friday, the Mercury closed the 20-point gap to six, and it happened immediately after Tibbetts' ejection. To Copper, that burst was a greater reflection of the team's season.

"It's another form of adversity in the year," Copper said. "Let's just add onto it. Let's just play harder. That's just what we're about. When you talk about Mercury basketball, when you talk about the Phoenix Mercury period, we are never going to quit. We are going to get after it. We can handle whatever you throw at us."