Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is making a tweak to his team for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, and he turned it into an opportunity to take a shot at the Dallas Mavericks while discussing it.
Finch revealed Thursday that the Timberwolves will have Anthony Edwards guard Luka Doncic for Game 5 instead of Jaden McDaniels. When discussing the reason for the shift, Finch cited Edwards’ ability to deal with what Finch called Dallas’ “illegal screens.”
Chris Finch was asked about shifting from McDaniels to Edwards guarding Luka Doncic in Game 4… pic.twitter.com/mS7xyGsOsY
— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) May 30, 2024
“He does a better job of getting through all those illegal screens they set for Luka,” Finch told reporters. “Jaden was getting cracked a lot. Jaden’s traditionally been very good on Luka with his length, but he’s been cracked by a bunch of screens out there.”
Message sent by Finch, who probably would not mind if the officials catch wind of his comments before Game 5.
The Timberwolves have not had a lot of luck defending Doncic one-on-one, but so far, they have been unwilling to resort to a double-team. If Edwards cannot get the job done early in Game 5, they may be left with no choice.
