MINNEAPOLIS — To even their WNBA semifinal series at 1-1, the Phoenix Mercury had to do something no team had ever done in league history.

The Minnesota Lynx had never lost a playoff game in which they led at halftime by double digits (15-0). And they had never lost any game, playoffs or regular season, where they were up 16 or more at the half (61-0).

The WNBA quickly issued a strong statement, denying the allegations and standing by its officials. “Any suggestion that the outcome of a playoff game was manipulated is categorically false,” the league declared. “Our referees are held to the highest professional standards, and accountability measures are in place to ensure fair play.” Despite the league’s response, distrust continues to grow as fan outrage intensifies.

Players, too, have weighed in. One Mercury opponent, visibly frustrated after the loss, hinted in a postgame interview that “you can only fight five players and three refs for so long.” Other athletes stopped short of direct accusations but emphasized the need for more transparency in officiating, with some calling for expanded use of replay review and independent oversight of referees.

For the Mercury, the controversy has turned their victory into a firestorm. What should have been a moment of celebration now comes with an asterisk in the eyes of many fans. Critics argue that if the league truly did push for Phoenix to advance, it undermines the legitimacy of every team competing in the postseason.

That is, until Tuesday’s 89-83 Phoenix victory in overtime at Target Center. The No. 4 seed Mercury trailed 48-32 at the break and the top-seeded Lynx looked on their way to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Then, everything turned around. The Mercury fought their way back, setting up Phoenix guard Sami Whitcomb’s score-tying 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left. Then Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier missed a jump shot at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

There, the Mercury completed their rally after being down as much as 20. It tied for the largest road comeback in WNBA playoff history, matching the Chicago’s Sky’s 20-point rally against the Atlanta Dream in 2014.

“Nobody said this stuff was gonna be easy,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts, said, “Just pride, toughness, grit. I couldn’t be more proud of our group for doing that. I mean, I’m fired up. Phoenix is going to be rocking on Friday and Sunday (for Games 3 and 4).”

Having lost the series opener 82-69 on Sunday, the Mercury went to the locker room at the break Tuesday with their season hanging in the balance. Going back to Phoenix down 2-0 wouldn’t have felt impossible, but close to it.

So, Tibbetts brought some heat for his halftime address to his team. How much heat? He said, “You’ll have to ask the players.”

Whitcomb said it was an appropriate amount of heat, and the Mercury responded. They outscored the Lynx 22-14 in the third period, and the entire vibe of the game changed.

“They came out really aggressive, especially in transition,” said Collier, whose 29th birthday Tuesday didn’t have the ending she wanted. “We had a lot of turnovers, so cutting back on that would have been a huge difference.”

The Lynx finished the regular season a league-best 34-10 overall and 20-2 at home, then won their two previous home games in these playoffs. But Reeve said she saw mistakes and bad body language from her team in the second half that she wasn’t expecting.

“Suddenly, we lost our way,” Reeve said. “We didn’t respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren’t strong enough. We weren’t tough enough. And they ripped the game from us.”

The Lynx turned the ball over on a five-second violation with 46.8 seconds left, which led to an Alyssa Thomas basket for Phoenix. The Lynx went up 79-76 after Courtney Williams’ two free throws, and the Mercury took a timeout with 20.7 seconds left.

Tibbetts anticipated Minnesota might foul to prevent a score-tying 3-point attempt. But the Lynx didn’t do that, and Whitcomb put up a 3 that was short.

Then Thomas grabbed the offensive rebound and passed to Kahleah Copper, who swung the ball to Satou Sabally, who found Whitcomb again. This time, Whitcomb swished the score-tying shot.

Tibbetts said Whitcomb “saved my ass” by adjusting to how the Lynx ended up defending the Mercury on that sequence. Whitcomb credited her teammates for passing her the ball again after she had missed the first time.

Whitcomb is known for her high-volume practice shooting, and she said that pays off when you hit a game-saving — and possibly series-saving — basket.

The WNBA is in turmoil after a jaw-dropping conspiracy theory exploded across social media, with fans and analysts claiming that referees were caught on camera rigging a playoff game in favor of the Phoenix Mercury. What began as frustrated murmurs from opposing fans quickly escalated into a full-blown scandal when a former WNBA official stepped forward, allegedly confirming that the league ordered the Mercury to win.

Clips circulating online show several controversial moments from the Mercury’s latest playoff clash, including a string of highly questionable foul calls, blatant no-calls on obvious violations, and a decisive final possession where an apparent travel went unwhistled before Phoenix sealed the victory. Fans immediately cried foul, claiming the officiating wasn’t just bad — it was deliberate.

The controversy exploded further when a former WNBA referee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told an independent podcast that the game “looked exactly like what we were once told to do: protect marketable stars and extend certain series.” The ex-official went on to claim that league executives sometimes pressured refs to “manage outcomes” for financial or media purposes, particularly when big markets or star players were at stake.

This bombshell allegation gave legitimacy to what many fans had already suspected. Across social platforms, slowed-down replays and side-by-side comparisons of the officiating inconsistencies were dissected frame by frame. Phrases like “scripted,” “rigged,” and “fixed” trended for hours, casting a shadow over the league’s integrity.

Sports analysts are split. Some argue that the controversy is overblown — every league has questionable calls, and fans often exaggerate when emotions run high. Others, however, insist the combination of leaked referee comments, glaring officiating mistakes, and the ex-official’s testimony makes this situation far too serious to dismiss as simple coincidence.

Behind the scenes, pressure is mounting on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to address the scandal head-on. Calls for independent investigations, third-party officiating audits, and even referee suspensions are gaining momentum. If the league fails to restore trust, it risks long-term damage to its reputation at a time when women’s basketball is enjoying unprecedented growth in popularity and visibility.

For now, the Mercury remain in the playoff hunt, but the shadow of conspiracy hangs over their run. Whether this scandal fades with time or snowballs into one of the biggest officiating controversies in professional sports history will depend on what evidence — if any — emerges next.

One thing is clear: the WNBA has a credibility crisis on its hands. The combination of viral video evidence, insider testimony, and a furious fan base means this story isn’t going away anytime soon. And until the league proves otherwise, whispers of a rigged playoff may haunt every whistle blown for the rest of the postseason.

“I was joking, you know, 20,000 [practice shots] for one shot,” Whitcomb said. “I’d love to make all of my shots, but I feel like it shows up in moments like that, those big moments.”

Sabally led the Mercury with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Thomas had 19 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds. Whitcomb had 13 of the Mercury’s 25 points off the bench.

Collier led Minnesota with 24 points and said the Lynx had themselves to blame for letting their big lead slip away.

“I think we beat ourselves,” Collier said. “Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us. Just keeping our composure in those situations is huge. Definitely, it’s frustrating, but it’s a series. So we need to go to Phoenix and take care of business.”