“Thunder Coach Had Blunt Take on Timberwolves’ Chris Finch Complaining to Refs”
The NBA playoffs normally are likely to function a sprinkle of officiating controversy, and this 12 months’s Western Convention finals will seemingly be no exception.
It appears just like the thoughts video games have already began between the Oklahoma Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves forward of Recreation 1 on Tuesday evening, with Thunder coach Mark Daigneault fielding questions on his adversary’s well-known attempts to try to curry favor with the refs.
Daigneault was requested in a pregame press convention for his ideas on Timberwolves coach Chris Finch probably making an attempt to get a leg up within the playoff sequence by politicking to the refs to sway their opinion.
Daigneault bluntly responded that his focus is on his personal group and that he trusted the refs working the video games to do their job.
“We prepare the team for the games, first of all,” stated Daigneault. “I said this in the Denver series because it came up there too—teams, players, coaches are going to use the media to try to influence the whistle as a competitive advantage.
“… My mentality on that’s, it is the Western Convention Finals. The fellows working these video games aren’t right here for an accident. I do not suppose they’re influenced by something I say or something our group says. I do not suppose they’re compromised by what anyone else says. We simply are going to concentrate on what we will management.”
In the Thunder’s last regular season meeting against the Timberwolves back in February, Minnesota overcame a 25-point deficit to beat OKC in a 131–128 overtime thriller. Despite his team’s win, Finch spent a portion of his postgame presser criticizing the refs for his or her perceived golden whistle towards the Thunder.
“It is so irritating to play this group as a result of they foul a ton. They actually do. They foul, they foul on a regular basis,” Finch said. “After which you’ll be able to’t actually contact Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. It is a very irritating factor, and it takes a variety of psychological toughness to play by it.”
The officiating surrounding the Thunder—and, more specifically, around Gilgeous-Alexander—has been a hot topic this past season, and it may very likely stay that way in the playoffs. Tip-off for Game 1 is 8:30 p.m. ET.
More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated
Have any questions or want help? Contact us here. For extra insights, go to our website.
Learn More…