This time, it was the referee pursuing the coach.
During Game 3 of the Timberwolves’ 115-108 loss to the Spurs on Friday night, veteran NBA referee Tony Blaser found himself in a confrontation with Minnesota’s coach, Chris Finch.
Finch later criticized Blaser’s behavior.
“Pretty unprofessional, isn’t it?” he remarked.
The incident unfolded with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter when Finch sought a timeout, as his team was behind 102-100.
Frustrated by what he perceived as a delay in granting the timeout with 5 minutes and 9 seconds remaining, Finch approached Blaser to voice his concerns.
Neither seemed willing to back down until a Minnesota player stepped in.
“I wanted a timeout. I had signaled three seconds before, and I wanted it. I told him, ‘I want my three seconds back,’” Finch explained, with his team struggling at a 2-1 series disadvantage. “He heard me loud and clear, looked right at me, and just ignored me, which nearly led to a turnover.”
During the timeout situation, Finch said something to Blaser, prompting him to approach Finch.
A member of the Timberwolves staff and players stepped in to prevent further escalation.
“He lost it,” Finch stated. “Then I asked him where the ball was going, and he yelled at me about it. That was completely unprofessional on his part.”
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards noted he wasn’t shocked by his coach’s reaction.
“I didn’t catch much of what was happening. It’s the highest level of competition,” Edwards commented. “We want to win, Finchy wants to win, and, well, that’s just Tony Brothers being Tony Brothers, and we all love him, so it’s all good.”
This incident follows another recent clash between a player and a referee, where Lakers’ Austin Reeves accused John Goble of yelling in his face, feeling “disrespected.”
In another game, Joel Embiid of the 76ers claimed that officiating bias was evident when the Knicks shot 32 free throws compared to Philadelphia’s 16. “Honestly, I think it’d be a good thing if New York won,” he added, perhaps hinting at the unusual dynamics of the matchup.
