In a shocking upset, the Phoenix Mercury have eliminated defending champions New York Liberty from the 2025 WNBA title race. The No. 4-seeded team proved their mettle on the court, advancing to the semifinals with a 79-73 win.
However, not everyone is celebrating Mercury’s win. Despite the team’s regular-season performance, the Liberty were the favorites to win, but many WNBA viewers were upset over the loss.
WNBA Fans React to Mercury Beating Liberty To Reach Playoff Semifinals
After Round 1 came to an end, fans were quick to express their shocked reactions, wondering if the Liberty would have won under different circumstances.
In a recent Instagram post, the Bleacher Report shared a highlight of Mercury-Liberty’s Game 3. The focus, of course, was on the Mercury eliminating the defending champions.
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“PHOENIX IS GOING TO THE SEMIFINALS 🔥, THE LIBERTY’S REPEAT BID IS OVER 🏆❌,” the caption read.
Fans, however, had varied views on the same.
One fan ended up shifting the blame to Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello.
“Bro fire the coach. You have an player that draws 3 defenders every time she touches the ball anywhere near the basket (JJ) and you continue to have her hovering around the 3pt line. I get that JJ can shoot, but if you have 4 other shooters on the court dump it to her in the post and it will immediately generate open 3s,” the fan wrote.
According to the fan, the coach didn’t properly utilize Jonquel Jones, reducing the team’s chances of winning by having her focus on threes.
And while a few fans disagreed, many agreed about the coach being a problem.
“It actually is the coach. Look at the players stats she brung in. Too many foreign players on the Liberty. They didn’t win like that last year,” one fan said.
“Coach been terrible and they’ll keep her smh,” another fan added.
Brondello, a former player, has been previously criticized during the season. Many believed the Liberty’s 27-17 win-loss record could have been better if not for the coach and the team not being at the same level as their 2024 campaign.
Phoenix, who were ranked fourth, had the same record.
Furthermore, Brondello has also coached the Phoenix from 2014 to 2021. She led them to the 2014 WNBA championship. Parting ways after her contract ended in 2021, Brondello signed with the Liberty in 2022.
Fans Also Blamed WNBA Refs and Officiating
That being said, some fans ended up blaming the referees. The WNBA has been called out for controversial officiating throughout the 2025 season, with fans raising questions during the playoffs as well.
“I feel like everyone played great, but the refs a lot of missed calls on both sides. Refs need a lot of work,” another fan said.
“Refs couldn’t save them,” one user added.
Some even demanded that Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu be traded to the Golden State Valkyries.
While Satou Sabally led the Mercury with 23 points, Ionescu scored 22 points for her team. Breanna Stewart had 30 points for the Liberty.
The Mercury will face the league-leading Minnesota Lynx for their first semifinals clash on Sunday, September 21, at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
