It's fitting that the Lynx-Liberty WNBA Finals are headed to winner-take-all Game 5

It's really a shame that after one Season with record-breaking interest in the WNBAno one will win the championship. We know this because the WNBA Finals are four games old and it has become clear that no one is going to lose. Not the Minnesota Lynx and not the New York Liberty. This series ends with someone forcing fourteen hours of overtime with a ridiculous blow on Sunday night in Brooklyn, at which point everyone will decide to just shake hands and go out for a drink.

It will be well deserved. The Lynx defeated the Liberty in Game 482-80, and this might have been the best game of the finals if it hadn't been the worst. There were 14 lead changes and 13 draws in this game. The game's largest lead was six points, ridiculous for a 40-minute basketball game, and this one was even longer: With 4:50 left, the Liberty lost a tackle, and when play resumed, the clock froze. Nobody seemed to notice.

When the Clockmaker got back into the action, the game was still tied at 72. From then on, the Lynx showed the necessary poise and endurance missing in game 3. Courtney Williams found Alanna Smith for a layup. Napheesa Collier, who had played the entire game, found herself in a one-two combination at the post and made a pass to Kayla McBride, who swung the ball to Bridget Carleton for a corner three-pointer.

The Lynx led to five. Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu couldn't get a shot off. Of course, the Liberty came back and tied the score at 80 points. Williams missed a jumper, but Carleton grabbed the rebound, Ionescu fouled her, and two free throws later: Game 5.

Afterwards, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello blamed herself for not screaming loud enough for a timeout in the last minute, and She blamed the referees for much more than that:

“I know Cheryl (Reeve) talked about this last time, but we haven't had any calls today. So do I have to speak in a press conference? Because they got tricky nails and we went there and then we got hit Nothing …All we want is fair. I'm one of the nicest coaches in this league, but this is getting on my nerves. Just be fair!”

The referees are working is, of course, a longstanding basketball tradition that dates back to James Naismith, when he made the first Peach basket and immediately claimed he had been fouled. Every long playoff series brings a lot with it. But Brondello's complaints were particularly amusing because public anger really isn't her style, and no matter how angry the Australian is, she sounds like she's just finished her swimming preliminaries and is incredibly excited for the finals.

Asked about Brondello’s comments, Reeve said: “I have not received a response from the league. I have a text that proves it. I think Phee has some (marks on her body) that prove the fouls weren't called. That's unfortunate, you know? I guess I don’t really have much else.”

Strangely enough, although each game was extremely close and marked by dubious refereeing, each game gave the distinct feeling that the team that deserved it more would have won. This was definitely the case in Game 4. Stewart and Ionescu combined for 21 points on 36 shots. Refereeing has been an issue in all series – both teams have legitimate complaints – but if the final buzzer sounded and your stars hadn't beaten anyone on the other side in a HORSE game, you probably weren't the better team.

“We could all have done better, even I could have taken this damn time off,” said Brondello. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say that. Don’t repeat it.”

I wouldn't dare. It's worth noting that when Brondello complained about the referees, Stewart looked like she was stewing in solidarity and Jonquel Jones patted Brondello on the shoulder. And when someone told Collier that her coach at UConn, Geno Auriemma, had said he wanted former Huskie Stewart to score 50 points in Game 4, Collier replied, “It sounds like he supports her.” He didn’t text me that.”

Reeve laughed and said, “I love it.”

It's not clear whether Auriemma actually said this about Stewart. Emotions are running high, patience is running out, and these teams now know each other so well that they can pack each other's bags before flying to New York on Saturday. Reeve said this game was probably so close because of “the information gathered in the (first) three games.” Everything becomes more difficult. Yes. There are no secrets at this point.” All we know is that Game 5 is Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Brooklyn. Congratulations to no one who won.