Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase rips Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani: We're not playing soccer'
Briefly

Natalie Nakase accused Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani of intentionally kicking Veronica Burton during a tripping foul and called the act dangerous and unacceptable. Referees ruled the foul common during the game, but Nakase reviewed the play afterward and identified kicking contact. Veronica Burton showed no reaction on the court and did not address the incident postgame. Nakase also attributed the team's second-half collapse to rotations and fatigue but repeatedly returned to concerns about Makani's physicality. Nakase warned that uncalled kicks can make players hesitant to attack, comparing such contact to soccer rather than basketball.
I saw Makani kick (Veronica) and I don't like it, Nakase said after the game. When I see someone kick one of our players like that's a red flag for me. I don't like that type of physicality. Tripping a player, for me, that's not basketball. Kicking a player, I'm not really happy with that. So the physicality can be what it is, but that's unacceptable.
If you get kicked by a player, what are your antennas going to do? They're going to be a little nervous because the refs are not calling a kick. We're not playing soccer, Nakase said. It's too bad that I didn't see it at game time. I had to actually see it after the game. But that's going to make players not want to attack ag
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