Chris Finch took six minutes to lose his temper against the refs during Friday’s Thunder vs. Timberwolves game. The veteran coach was infuriated after a couple of no-calls on his star player, Anthony Edwards. Finch charged down the court towards the officials. Despite getting a tech for it, he kept going and had to be held by four staff members of his team from making contact with the ref.
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In no time, Finch was charged with a second tech, leading to his ejection. The Timberwolves, unfortunately, were at the end of some questionable no-calls, so NBA fans backed Finch for standing up for his players. Here’s how they reacted:
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Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori took over the coaching duties after Chris Finch’s ejection. In the heat of the moment, it felt like the move would fuel the Timberwolves, but they trailed by 12 shortly after Finch’s exit.
Chris Finch has been vocal about refs’ decisions during games against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC Thunder
Chris Finch hasn’t been a fan of how his team’s games against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder have been officiated. In February, Finch called out the decision-making from the refs, saying it was near-impossible to touch Gilgeous-Alexander on defense.
“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said. “They really do. They foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to play through it.”
Several teams and rival fan bases have raised this issue against the Thunder. They are physical on every possession, which makes it difficult for the refs to call every foul on them. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has mastered the art of drawing fouls due to his skills, which get the best of defenders in a blender.
Some even complain that they can’t match the Thunder’s physicality, as they get penalized for giving the Thunder the same treatment.
Edited by Arhaan Raje
