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 Oct 27, 2026 at 10:27 am ET • 3 min read 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. This was the first time in Reese's career that she's made two or fewer shots in consecutive games, and the first time she's been held in single digits in consecutive games since early in her rookie season. In addition to the missed shots, Reese has not been able to get to the free throw line lately. She averaged 7.6 free throw attempts in the first three games of the series, but has only taken 10 total in the last two games. Her four free throw attempts in Game 5 were her fewest of the postseason. Reese said that she "definitely" noticed an uptick in the physicality from the Valkyries starting in Game 4. "There was also a possession [in Game 4] where Gabby [Williams] pulled me on purpose, and she was screaming, 'Foul, foul, foul,' and they didn't call it. So that defintely was frustrating for sure. Her team is saying it, and they're all screaming 'foul,' but the refs, I don't know what's going on, why they can't hear it?" Reese said. "When I do switch on the post, and I'm a lot stronger than the opponent, I should be able to turn, and they're calling an offensive foul, but I'm getting pushed before that, so that is frustrating for sure," she continued. "It definitely shifted when we went up 2-1. Things shifted and I don't know what happened, but it definitely took a big turn." Points have been hard to come by all series for both teams, but the Dream's offense was particularly poor in Game 5. They shot 29.2% from the field, which was the fourth-worst team field goal percentage in a Finals game in WNBA history, and scored 55 points, which was tied for the 10th-fewest points ever in a Finals game. And this time, they weren't able to get to the line to supplement the poor shotmaking. Dream's free throw attempts in the FinalsGameFTFTAFT%1 18 21 85.7% 2 30 35 85.7% 3 20 29 69% 4 22 31 71% 5 11 14 78.6% "I give them credit for playing good defense. They're known for their defense and they've been playing great defense throughout the series, but I do want to have Angel's back here," Smesko said. "The contact they allow on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous. Just ridiculous. We should have gone to the foul line six-to-eight more times just on that."In Games 2-4, the Dream became just the second team to attempt at least 25 free throws in three straight Finals games, per ESPN. And for the series, they still have a significant edge at the line, where they've outscored the Valkyries by 42 points. TeamFTFTAFT%Dream10113077.7%Valkyries597875.6%Even so, Smesko has not liked what he's seen from the officials in the last few games. "To miss double-dribbles and travels, multiple that always led to points, you can't be at this level and make this many mistakes," Smesko said. "There's things that are on us. We're missing shots we should make. But at the same time, that needs to be a whole lot better than it was. It's time that if you push somebody with two hands as they drive, it's gotta be a foul. I'm kinda tired of some of the excuses that I'm hearing."