The Las Vegas Aces ended the Indiana Fever's season Thursday night, and it was an all-too-familiar story from Stephanie White and her star players.
A'ja Wilson showed why she is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, leading her team to an eighth straight semifinals appearance.
On the other side, there were more questions about Caitlin Clark, but a key focus from Stephanie White during the postgame press conference was on the officiating.
"It's a game of margins," White told reporters. "And they had 35 free throws, and we had 20."
Clark reacted to her head coach's stat, saying, "Hmm, interesting."
It's not uncommon for anyone on the Fever to call out the officiating. Pointing out the free-throw disparity is their most common way to do so without getting fined, and it shouldn't be what fans want to hear.
You have to earn free throws to shoot them
While the box score shows that the Aces shot 15 more free throws than the Fever, it doesn't tell the whole story.
Indiana shot 3-for-11 from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas only attempted one 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. The Fever simply settled for too many jump shots in crunch time. Becky Hammon's side attacked the basket, forcing Indiana to defend one-on-one and earning free throws.
Jump shooters certainly can get fouled, but it's traditional basketball wisdom that players who attack the basket will earn more opportunities at the charity stripe.
You also can add in the fact that Las Vegas has averaged the fewest number of fouls per game this season. Hammon's side has consistently been able to defend without fouling. It's something that White has not been able to consistently bring out of her team.
There needs to be a balance of critiquing and defending
From White's perspective, it's understandable why she takes the route of blaming the officiating. It's a way to defend her players. However, there needs to be a balance between that and taking responsibility for how poor the Fever's defense was in their losses.
In fairness, this might happen behind closed doors, but the results have not shown themselves, as the Fever's defensive lapses have plagued them all season, resulting in comebacks from the opponent or fourth-quarter shortcomings.
White did highlight things that went wrong, and the way her team could be better next time. However, the spotlight on the officiating is what grabs attention when it should be on the team and on how she can be better in crucial moments.
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