"I'll try not to get fined" - Napheesa Collier quips about perceived bias from referees towards Breanna Stewart

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier talked about the different calls she and Breanna Stewart got during Game 3 of the 2024 WNBA Finals between her team and the New York Liberty. On Thursday, the forward joined Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams on their "Run It Back" show to discuss several topics.

Beadle touched on Cheryl Reeve's comments saying that Stewart was getting more foul calls than Collier. Collier joked about not wanting to risk a potential fine but then pointed to herself for missing opportunities throughout the game.

"I'll try not to get fined," Collier said. "I do feel like I wasn't getting the same calls yesterday, but at the end of the day, I also missed shots that I always make, so, you can't blame the refs.

"Of course, I wish I got those easy free throws on shots that I felt I was fouled on but again, you can't blame the refs. I should have made different shots, I should have been stronger.

"They're calling it like that for me the whole game so I have to be able to adjust. You can't blame the refs, no one cares; they only see a win or a loss, so you kinda have to be able to play through it."

Collier finished the game with 22 points, but she only made nine of her 22 field goal attempts. She did miss shots she normally makes, especially the ones at the key.

Napheesa Collier says Sabrina Ionescu's shot didn't 'lose the Lynx the game'

Napheesa Collier also reflected on Sabrina Ionescu's game-winning 3-pointer. She lauded Ionescu's big shot but also took accountability for the opportunities her team missed in crunch time.

"I thought that we guarded her well," Collier said. "She made a tough shot at the end of the game. That's not what lost us the game. I feel like we didn't make plays that we needed to down the stretch, and then yeah, a good player making a good shot.

"That was a really deep step-back three. That's a tough shot. So yeah, we just didn't execute down the stretch and then it led to that."

Napheesa Collier and the Lynx will play their final home game of the series on Friday and will look to put in a cleaner offensive display.