Chris Finch Addresses ‘Unprofessional' Confrontation With Tony Brothers
With the Minnesota Timberwolves back on their home court, they were unable to secure a Game 3 victory, falling 115-108 to the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs.
Anthony Edwards got the start and scored 32 points to go with six assists, while Naz Reid came off the bench for 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome a massive performance from Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 39 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, putting his team up 2-1 in the second-round series.
Officiating has become a heavy focus in recent games, with various referee confrontations occurring during and after games.
That was the case in Friday night’s loss, with referee Tony Brothers held back by players on the court when he went towards Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.
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“Pretty unprofessional, huh?” Finch joked when a reporter said he wasn’t sure he had ever seen players hold a referee back before.
“Yeah, I wanted a timeout. I had called it three seconds ago. I said ‘I want my three seconds back,'” the Timberwolves coach explained at his postgame press conference.
“He clearly heard me. Looked my way, ignored me, went on with the play, and almost cost us a turnover. And so then, he lost it,” Finch explained. “Then I went to ask where the ball was gonna be taken in, and he was screaming at me for that.”
He called it “completely unprofessional behavior” by Brothers, which could be something the NBA looks into, either to speak with Brothers or to hit Finch with some sort of fine.
The incident occurred in the game’s fourth quarter after Finch had requested a timeout, and went onto the court to ask Brothers about it.
Regarding the officiating, it’s not the first on-court confrontation in these NBA Playoffs and won’t be the last. After the Lakers’ recent Game 2 loss to Oklahoma City, multiple players went onto the court to surround the referees for a serious discussion about the calls.
Throughout that game, players complained to the referees about calls, especially LeBron James, who had a heated confrontation with an official after he didn’t receive the shot he made after an OKC foul.
Several players, including the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker and the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, have been fined for these sorts of postgame confrontations and for speaking out against referees. It shows ongoing frustration with officiating, which is nothing new, especially when players are upset about losses.
Still, bad referee whistles and failure to properly officiate can really hinder a team’s momentum in crucial playoff games.
Game 4 will be back in Minnesota on Sunday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 11:08 AM.