Wolves HC Chris Finch Goes OFF on Lead Official Tony Brothers After Heated Game 3 Altercation

The Timberwolves trail 1-2 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Semifinals.

Wolves HC Chris Finch Goes OFF on Lead Official Tony Brothers After Heated Game 3 Altercation

Chris Finch's NSFW abuse was caught on camera (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the San Antonio Spurs 115-108, falling behind 2-1 in the series.
  • Coach Chris Finch had a heated altercation with referee Tony Brothers over a timeout call during the fourth quarter.
  • Wolves players intervened to separate Finch and Brothers, as tensions escalated on the court.

The Minnesota Timberwolves came up short in what was a thrilling contest. The San Antonio Spurs picked up from where they left off in Game 2 as they recorded a 115-108 win over the Wolves at the Target Center to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and referee Tony Brothers clashed as tensions rose between the two in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The heated altercation took place with a little over five minutes left in the fourth quarter when Finch called for a timeout.

After the game, Finch gave his version of what took place when asked about the incident.

Pretty unprofessional huh? I wanted the timeout and I called it 3 seconds earlier. I said I want my 3 seconds back. He lost it. Then I went to ask him where the ball was gonna be taken in and he was screaming at me for that. So completely unprofessional behavior by him.

Chris Finch in his post-match press conference

Chris Finch has had a few outbursts throughout his career, especially when it comes to referees. He never shies away from speaking his mind and taking it to officials. However, this time it wasn’t Finch who was the aggressor.

NBA referee Tony Brothers has often grabbed headlines for his questionable decisions and calls. He has been officiating in the NBA since 1994. In his 32-year NBA career as a referee, he has been involved in quite a few altercations with players and coaches.

Based on Finch’s version of events, he called for a timeout in the fourth quarter, but Brothers didn’t give it till three seconds later. When Finch confronted him about it, the situation escalated, and emotions flared between the coach and official. Finch believed the Brothers’ response to the whole incident was quite unprofessional.

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Tony Brothers had to be held back during his confrontation with Chris Finch

It is common to see coaches confronting officials during games, and more often than not, it ends with the coach being handed a technical foul. If things get out of control, they even end up getting ejected.

However, it is rare to see players holding the referee back, and that is exactly what happened on Friday night. When Chris Finch approached Tony Brothers, the veteran referee seemed irked and let the emotions get the better of him.

Wolves players had to intervene and hold Brothers back before it escalated any further. This was the second straight night in the NBA playoffs that an exchange with an official entered the spotlight. Last night, Los Angeles Lakers players led by LeBron James and Austin Reaves confronted the officials after the game.

Anthony Edwards downplays the incident between Chris Finch and Tony Brothers

It was a difficult night for Chris Finch and his team as they were playing catch-up for the majority of the game. When the Wolves players separated the two, Anthony Edwards was one of the players who tried to de-escalate the heated exchange.

Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards
Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards (Image credits – NBA Base/X)

After the match, Edwards weighed in on the incident that took place and was asked if he saw what happened.

No, not really. We didn’t. We didn’t really hear what was going on. It’s competition at the highest level, man, you know, we want to win, Finchy want to win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers, you know, we all love them. So it’s good.

Anthony Edwards in his post-match press conference

The NBA has yet to release a statement on the events that took place on Friday night. The loss in Game 3 has now added some extra pressure on the Wolves heading into Game 4. It is almost a must-win game for them, or else they risk being 3-1 down when they head back to San Antonio for Game 5.

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