The Phoenix Mercury will be without Natasha Cloud and Diana Taurasi during its next game because they are unwilling to stay quiet about poor officiating in the WNBA. They both received a technical foul on Sunday that is going to result in a suspension, unless the league decides to overturn the ruling.
Either way, it is yet another example of a frustrating trend during the most-watched season of all-time.
First and foremost, as many veterans have said before, the WNBA is a surprisingly physical league. There are a lot of contested rebounds. No layup goes without contact. Players are always bumping bodies.
The carnality of the on-court play creates a sticky situation for officials. They are incredibly inconsistent when it comes to what does or does not warrant a whistle. Guards also get an advantage over bigs, where the slightest touch is called on the perimeter but it resembles a WWE cage match in the paint.
In addition, there seems to be a chip on the shoulder of a lot of WNBA referees. Any minor criticism, pushback, or under-the-breath comment hurts their feelings and often draws a technical foul.
Both of these issues were on display during the Mercury’s loss to the Aces.
Natasha Cloud could not believe she was called for a ticky-tack foul during the second quarter and expressed her frustration. The officials did not appreciate her backtalk and T’d her up for the seventh time this season. Per the rulebook, seven technical fouls warrants a one-game suspension.
Natasha Cloud has picked up her 7th technical foul of the season
— WNBA Universe (@wnbauniverse) September 1, 2024
She will not be able to play in the Mercury's next game unless the technical is rescinded#WNBA pic.twitter.com/zcQNHbiwnp
And then Diana Taurasi was called for her seventh technical of the season during the third quarter for chirping at an official. The 42-year-old is known to be one of the most censorious players in the league but the exchange seemed fairly innocuous.
Diana Taurasi just picked up her 7th technical foul of the season.
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) September 1, 2024
She’s facing a suspension for Tuesdays game unless it’s rescinded.#WNBA pic.twitter.com/KWMA7PaEiJ
Phoenix has been called for 32 technical fouls in 2024, which is a single-season record. Part of that stems from an unwillingness to stay quiet about ridiculous calls. Part of it stems from a bias by the refs.
There is an officiating problem in the WNBA and it came to a head in Arizona on Sunday. It would be in everyone’s best interest if the officials got over swallowed their whistles — and their egos — more often!