"They had a bunch of oh s*** looks": Cheryl Reeve explodes after Mercury humiliate Lynx with shocking OT win in Game 2

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t mince her words after her team suffered a humbling defeat at the Target Center on Tuesday. The Lynx squandered a 20-point lead and fell 89-83 in overtime to the Phoenix Mercury, losing their home-court advantage.

Minnesota had total control of the game until the middle of the third quarter, after which reckless plays and unforced errors cost them dearly. Reeve delivered a scathing assessment of her team’s embarrassing loss and made several hard-hitting statements to the media postgame.

"The lack of execution led us to the uncertainty," Reeve said. "All of a sudden they’re looking around, they had a bunch of oh s*** looks and so execution, simple things, pass and catch. Just be able to dribble the ball and get it to us, we were throwing it out of bounds."

Everything that could go wrong for the Minnesota Lynx did in the final 15 minutes of regulation and overtime. The team missed DiJonai Carrington as the starters ran out of energy and the bench contributed just three points on the night. Rotations in the second half were also poorly managed and the Lynx paid the price.

It was a gut punch for Minnesota and its fans. Beyond allowing the Mercury to rally from a 20-point deficit, the Lynx made too many mistakes in clutch moments. Failing to foul before Phoenix’s game-tying possession in the final seconds is likely to haunt them for a long time.

Cheryl Reeve's rues Lynx's response to Mercury's physicality

The Phoenix Mercury came out with added energy after halftime and increased their physicality. The Minnesota Lynx failed to keep up and essentially threw in the towel, allowing the visiting team to seize control of the game. Cheryl Reeve was not happy with how her team responded to Phoenix’s renewed energy in the second half.

"I would think that’s what a team would do… I think our response to it was a little bit uncharacteristic, unfortunate. The types of turnovers we had in a minute and a half… we didn’t respond… they ripped the game from us."

The series between the Lynx and Mercury is now tied 1-1 and is expected to go down to the wire. Minnesota will need to win at least one game on the road to return to the Finals, but it will be extremely challenging as Phoenix currently has the momentum on its side.

Edited by Atishay Jain