Angel Reese, Karl Smesko blast officiating after Dream fall into 3-2 WNBA Finals hole to Valkyries

‘The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous,’ Smesko said

A few days ago, the Atlanta Dream were up 2-1 in the 2026 WNBA Finals with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead at home. Now, after a 64-55 loss in Game 5 on Monday, they suddenly find themselves down 3-2 and on the brink of elimination. Following one of the worst offensive performances in Finals history, Angel Reese and coach Karl Smesko took their frustration out on the officials. "I'm still trying to figure out how to play through the physicality. I mean, a lot of us are getting fouled and they're not calling it, or we're talking to the ref after and they're saying, 'Oh, we'll get you next time.' So it is a little frustrating in the moment of it," Reese said.

"I'm kinda used to it, because this was happening throughout the season, so I just have to continue to play through it." Reese was dominant in Games 2 and 3, as she became the third player ever with a 30-point, 15-rebound game in the Finals, and joined A'ja Wilson as the only players with back-to-back 20-point, 10-rebound games in the Finals. But in the last two games, she's gotten nothing going offensively. Reese scored eight points on 2 of 12 shooting in Game 4, and seven points on 2 of 8 in Game 5.