Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch offered the Oklahoma City Thunder a backhanded compliment when speaking to the media Tuesday.
Finch had a lot of praise for the Thunder’s off-ball defense through the first four games of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, remarking on how physical their play has been. He made it sound like he was not entirely thrilled with how some of that play has been officiated.
“I think off-ball, they were super handsy. I saw a lot of off-ball contact,” Finch said. “Their off-ball defense was largely focused on (Anthony Edwards), trying to jam him up and keep him from being able to get the ball in clean space. I find it also a little interesting that, throughout the entire series, I can’t remember an off-ball foul that’s been called after four games, which is kind of unique. That just speaks volumes (and) is a credit to their off-ball defense.”
Interesting point brought up just now by Wolves head coach Chris Finch: #WolvesBack #Timberwolves #Twolves pic.twitter.com/5cijKSTLhr
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) May 27, 2025
One has to wonder if Finch really is crediting their off-ball defense, or is suggesting that officials should crack down on some of the physicality. We know he is not averse to sending messages, though he had previously been much less subtle about it.
NBA coaches are careful with their words, and they say things for a reason. In this instance, a lot of people are going to think that Finch is trying to draw attention to something that he thinks has disadvantaged his team in the series.
