Although physical play in the WNBA is not a new trend, you wouldn’t find many players who are willing to do the dirty work. But Angel Reese has always been different. The forward, known for relentlessly going for the ball no matter what, has said she would do anything and everything to put her team on the winning column. But how much is too much?

The problem is, Reese is averaging four personal fouls per game in the playoffs. Worse, she already has two postseason technical fouls going into a Finals series that would be a defensive showdown, leaving her with only two more shots before an automatic one-game suspension in a series where the Atlanta Dream would want her on the floor. But while everyone is focusing on the performance itself, one aspect of that energy doesn’t sit right with WNBA veteran Sophie Cunningham for a specific reason.

“Angel is going to play hard,” Cunningham said yesterday on the “No Hesitation” podcast. “She is a player who goes after the ball. I appreciate that about players of her wanting to get on the floor and make the extra effort. Sometimes, people and the way they carry themselves and who they are, they don’t wanna get down and dirty like this; and she is, so I’m gonna give her credit there. But you can’t tackle someone in the air and then go for someone’s knees and ankles. That’s a dangerous play.

“Technically, both of those are a little dangerous. And for those just to go uncalled, is that not weird? Am I missing something?”

Now see, Cunningham is no stranger to doing the dirty work in the WNBA. Take her Phoenix Mercury run or one with the Fever; she has evolved into the ‘enforcer’ character who likes to put people in place if they are wrong. Considering these are the playoffs, rough plays will be given warnings, but the players will also be allowed to amp up the energy. But Cunningham still believes that shouldn’t come at the cost of an opponent’s health, and she has a point.

The first incident that she is referring to took place in the third semifinal game. With 1:45 remaining in the third quarter and the score tied at 62-62, Breanna Stewart was driving towards the basket when she shoved her defender, Rhyne Howard, away with her left hand, sending the latter to the floor. The referee whistled a personal foul, but thinking that Stewart was still going for the bucket, Reese jumped toward the veteran in an attempt to block her. The thing was, the whistle was already called, and the play was dead. So, Reese’s action that ultimately sent Stewie to the floor was not even required. But she didn’t stop there.

Just a few minutes later, in the fourth quarter of the same game with 7:11 remaining on the clock and Atlanta trailing 70-71, the officials had called a full timeout after a loose-ball scramble involving players from both teams. But Reese still dove to secure the loose ball, lunging toward Liberty’s Marine Fauthoux’s legs, sending her crashing to the floor. Again, the whistle had already stopped play, yet Reese continued to pursue the ball in a manner Sophie Cunningham viewed as over-the-top.

“Even after the whistle, you can’t hit someone,” added Cunningham. “I know that she was going for the ball and she is trying to make hustle play. Atlanta is kicking a** right now. All 50-50 balls are pretty much Atlanta’s ball. So I’m giving them that work ethic and that grit and that dog. But I also hurt my knee by someone slamming into my knee, and so when I see people dive at people’s knee and ankles, that kind of gives me ick a little bit. I don’t like that. One of those has to be called.”

Both plays raised questions about the physicality involved, particularly because neither resulted in a technical or flagrant foul. So for Cunningham, who has been on the receiving end of such physical plays, there is a difference between playing with relentless energy and putting another player at risk.

In August 2025, Cunningham was ruled out of a game against the Connecticut Sun and the remainder of the season after Guard Bria Hartley fell and collided with the Fever star’s leg after driving to the basket. Cunningham had an MCL tear. Having experienced firsthand how quickly a physical play can turn into a season-ending injury, she understands the risks involved. But she also pointed out a lack of consistent calls by the officials.

Sophie Cunningham asks for consistent calls, questioning one tech call on Angel Reese

As I said, Cunningham doesn’t mind games to get heated. And considering these are playoffs, a little heat is usually ignored. But at one moment, Reese and a New York Liberty player were called for double technicals. Needless to say, Cunningham felt like it could’ve been avoided.

In the do-or-die series for the Liberty, with 3:16 left before halftime, Reese was going for a layup when Jonquel Jones shadowed her and squatted the ball into the stands. Understandably, with a block like that, which allowed the Liberty to stop Atlanta’s run, which was already leading 29-31, some trash talk was expected. That’s what followed…

Jones shrugged Reese, and the latter got in her face. Being the veteran and former MVP, Jones didn’t stay back either. Just then, both were called for a technical foul.

Cunningham didn’t agree.

“Angel, I appreciate her having her teammates’ backs. It just shows that she cares and she loves her teammates. Here’s my thing: if you’re going to chase someone down the court and get in someone’s ear, that should be a tech. Now, if you’re going to stay on your side and yell and say something, I’m all for that. This one is actually going to surprise you.

“The JJ, which she drove and got blocked, I wish that they wouldn’t have given either of them a tech. I think that’s good playoff basketball. Let them talk a little sh– to each other. And then their teams separate. I think that’s fine. I think it’s weird and inconsistent refs’ calling. It’s just frustrating. For them to call a softa– double tech on a block shot and then turning around… maybe because that would’ve been her second and they didn’t want to get her kicked out?”

Angel Reese has built her game around the physicality and relentless effort she brings to the floor, but that approach comes with risks. With a championship title on the line against a team that had swept them in the regular season, Reese’s approach could be bad news for the Dream, who would want their star forward to keep that aggression under control and stay out of foul trouble.

The Dream will face a Golden State Valkyries team that enters the championship series with considerable momentum after sweeping the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in the Semifinals. With so much at stake, Reese’s ability to balance her trademark physicality with discipline could prove crucial to Atlanta’s title hopes.