The Fever Run Hot, WNBA Officiating Under Review + Sports Betting 101

Zena, Ben, and Sabreena take a dive deep into the highly anticipated Game 5 semifinals match-up between the Aces and Fever. Will A’ja Wilson bring her A-game? What adjustments will the Aces make? And how can the Fever pull off the ultimate upset? Then, the crew share their thoughts on the emotional end to the Lynx’s season – and the Mercury’s ascendance to the Finals. Next, following Cheryl Reeve’s suspension after the Mercury-Lynx Game 3 on Friday night, Zena, Ben, and Sabreena talk about the play in question between Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier – before getting into the intricacies behind freedom of movement in the WNBA and the implications of officiating decisions as teams continue to navigate the playoffs. Finally, The Athletic’s Sports Betting Editor, Hannah Vanbiber joins Zena and Ben to discuss the basics of sports betting – from money lines to point spreads and totals – before entertaining some made-up WNBA prop bets. REFERENCES: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6671283/2025/09/28/indiana-fever-wnba-semifinals-las-vegas-aces/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6671975/2025/09/29/indiana-fever-wnba-semifinals-injuries/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6672230/2025/09/28/minnesota-lynx-wnba-playoffs-elimination/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6672537/2025/09/29/minnesota-lynx-wnba-semifinals-loss/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6674695/2025/09/29/lynx-cheryl-reeve-fine-suspension-stephanie-white-becky-hammon-wnba-playoffs/ 00:00 Intro 00:58 USC star JuJu Watkins is officially out for the 2025-26 season 02:39 Fever stay alive to force a Game 5 4:35 Stephanie White continues to make the necessary adjustments 7:12 What will Becky Hammon do with her rotations in Game 5? 13:10 How the Mercury turned Game 4 in their favor 17:18 A look at the Mercury’s successful roster rebuild 24:22 Has the window closed for the Lynx’s for a potential title in the near future? 27:45 WNBA Officiating under review 28:44 Play-by-play analysis of AT / Phee moment 34:00 What does freedom of movement mean in the WNBA? 35:13 Comparing officiating standards across leagues 37:38 Transparency issues in WNBA officiating 44:57 What money lines and over/under mean in betting 47:14 Understanding WNBA Finals futures 50:41 Prop bets explained Thumbnail: David Becker, Ian Maule via Getty Images #wnbaplayoffs #semifinal #caitlinclark Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com. You can also find us on socials: -Instagram: @tanooffseason -TikTok: @no_offseason -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Ben on BlueSky: @benpickman -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1 Full Episodes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm7txmok7cpMB3YlgkwrT2E0 Shorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm72uhBjsd24rsh5teZtgUpS