The WNBA GOAT was fined $2,500 for pushing a ref mid-game, and some fans think she got off too easy

• Diana Taurasi shoved a referee while trying to defend her teammate during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
• No foul was called in real time, but the WNBA fined the superstar $2,500 a day later.

The WNBA has issued a fine to Phoenix Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi for "making inappropriate contact with a game official," the league announced late Thursday night.

But fans and reporters think she got off too easy.

Head of WNBA League Operations Bethany Donaphin fined the 10-time WNBA All-Star $2,500 after she shoved a referee during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. With 5:52 remaining in the second quarter of Wednesday night's contest against the Chicago Sky in Phoenix, Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham missed a layup and doubled back for the rebound, where she collided with Chicago star Kaleah Copper and fell to the hardwood.

Copper dove to the deck to try to wrestle the ball away from Cunningham and wound up with her arms wrapped around her opponent's neck. A referee rushed over to break up the budding fight and de-escalate the heated moment, and Taurasi followed close behind to defend her teammate.

Video from the game shows the newly-minted WNBA GOAT pushing the referee in the back on her way to pick Cunningham up off the floor:

While Taurasi wasn't whistled for a penalty in real time, fans - particularly those rooting for the Sky - immediately began calling for a suspension.

Even reporters and talking heds chimed in:

Some of those following along with the drama contrasted Taurasi's situation with a 2019 incident involving Chicago center Astou Ndour-Fall. During a Sky matchup against the Washington Mystics that year, a referee walked into Ndour-Fall while looking in the opposite direction.

He immediately ejected her despite the contact appearing to be both minimal and unintentional. The league later rescinded the technical foul and ejection, stating that it "should not have been assessed" in the first place.

The difference between one referee's treatment of Taurasi Wednesday night and another's reaction to Ndour-Fall in 2019 may boil down to race, some fans suggested on Twitter.

Game 3 of the Finals tips off Friday night at 9 p.m. ET, and Taurasi is eligible to play. And while Chicago's Wintrust Arena sold out well in advance of the game, fans can still tune in to ESPN2 to see which side takes the lead in the best-of-five series.