Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called out referee Tony Brothers after the team’s 115-108 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3.
With just over five minutes remaining in the contest, Finch tried to call a timeout to reset an offensive possession. Brothers didn’t grant Finch a timeout for a few seconds, prompting the head coach to voice his frustration to the referee on the court.
A few moments later, Brothers confronted Finch, which sparked a heated exchange that included T-Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni and guard Bones Hyland having to step in and escort Brothers out of the huddle.
“Completely unprofessional behavior by him,” Finch told reporters after the game when asked about Brothers’ actions, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Chris Hine.
He added, “I wanted the timeout. I had called it 3 seconds earlier and I wanted the timeout. I said ‘I want my 3 seconds back,’ … because he clearly heard me. He looked my way, ignored me, went on with the play … almost cost us a turnover. So, and then, you know, he lost it. Then I went to ask him where the ball was going to be taken in and he screamed at me for that.”
Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards downplayed the incident after the loss.
“Competition at the highest level,” Edwards said postgame, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “We wanna win. Finchy wanna win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers. We all love him, so it’s all good.”
This marks the second straight night in the NBA playoffs with a viral exchange involving referees. Lakers guard Austin Reaves confronted an official following Los Angeles’ Game 2 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Minnesota struggled from the field Friday night, shooting 38%. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle combined to shoot 8-for-34 in the contest, while Edwards had a team-leading 32 points on 12-of-26 shooting.
The Timberwolves will look to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday night.
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