After an upset win in Game 1 of its Western Conference semifinals series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves have found themselves in a 2-1 hole after dropping two straight games.
Tensions normally rise among players over the course of a series, but Friday night’s Game 3 saw things get tense between Wolves head coach Chris Finch and veteran NBA game official Tony Brothers, resulting in Brothers needing to be restrained and calmed by Minnesota players and staff.
Tony Brothers and Chris Finch during the last timeout lolpic.twitter.com/YyTER8FsGP
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 9, 2026
In his postgame presser, Finch didn’t mince words about how he felt about Brothers’ behavior.
“Pretty unprofessional, huh?” he said of the moment.
“I wanted the timeout, and I called it three seconds earlier. And I wanted the timeout. And I said, ‘I want my three seconds back.’ He clearly heard me. He looked my way, and ignored me, went on the play. And then almost cost us a turnover. 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 on his interaction with Tony Brothers:
“I wanted the timeout and I said I want my 3 seconds back. He clearly heard me. 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… https://t.co/2EzXqtpM7s pic.twitter.com/zLImoRFTAX
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 9, 2026
This isn’t the first time this postseason that a referee’s behavior has had to be addressed out in a postgame press conference. On Thursday night, Lakers guard Austin Reaves said he felt “disrespected” in a moment he had with game official John Goble during the Western Conference’s other semifinal series.
“At the end of the day, we’re grown men,” Reaves said. “And I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that. I told him that. I wasn’t disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would have got a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn’t get a tech is because he knew he was in the wrong. So, yeah, I just felt disrespected.”
Hopefully, the league offices make it clear that this cannot continue to happen. The NBA playoffs are the pinnacle of basketball because of the competition on the court, not because fans are eager to see antics from game officials.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.