PORTLAND, Ore. — The WNBA’s attempt to crack down on physical play this season has spurred frustration among some players, coaches and fans in the first week of action. But league officials believe this is just part of the “feeling out period” that’s inevitable with change. The first 18 games of the 2026 season have averaged 42.1 foul calls — up from the same period a year ago when the league saw an average of 40.7 foul calls across 14 games. Eleven games have had more than 40 fouls recorded; five exceeded 50. Head of WNBA officiating Monty McCutchen isn’t entirely surprised by the early returns. “It would’ve been naive to think that, as rough as the game had gotten over the last three or four years and to have a task force tell us to clean that up, that there wouldn’t be more whistles and that there wouldn’t be an adjustment period,” McCutchen told The Post on Thursday.…