Scandal in the NBA playoffs! Chris Finch explodes against Tony Brothers after a tense argument during the game

The Minnesota Timberwolves' defeat against the San Antonio Spurs by 115-108 in the third game of the series left much more than the display of Victor Wembanyama. The main focus of the night ended up pointing to the explosive altercation between Minnesota's coach, Chris Finch, and veteran referee Tony Brothers.

Everything happened with just over five minutes left in the game. With Minnesota trying to react and the score tight, Finch called a timeout to reorganize an offensive possession that was spiraling out of control. However, as the coach explained after the game, Brothers initially ignored his request.

"I told him I wanted to get my three seconds back. He heard the timeout perfectly, looked at me, and decided to ignore me. We almost had a turnover," stated a visibly upset Finch.

The coach's reaction did not sit well with the referee. Finch slammed the floor in frustration as Brothers headed straight to Minnesota's bench to confront him. The situation quickly escalated to the point where Naz Reid had to step in to separate them and prevent the argument from escalating further.

But the conflict did not end there. Finch claimed that, minutes later, he approached the referee again only to ask from where the ball would be inbounded. According to the coach, Brothers "completely lost control" and confronted him again.

The tension also required intervention from Bones Hyland and assistant Pablo Prigioni, who prevented the referee from reaching Finch. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards watched the scene unfold alongside his coach.

Edwards himself tried to downplay the controversy after the game. "It's competition at the highest level. We all want to win. Finchy wants to win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers. We all love him," he commented ironically.

The officiating incident momentarily overshadowed another painful night for Minnesota. The Timberwolves started the game completely blocked, missing their first shots for almost seven minutes and falling into an early 14-1 hole against a much superior Spurs team.

Wolves' Options Until the End

Minnesota had chances until the end and even attempted 14 more shots than their opponent thanks to their 15 offensive rebounds, but the team converted only 38% of their attempts. Additionally, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels had a forgettable night with a poor 8 of 34 shooting between them.

The defeat also marks the first loss for the Timberwolves at home in these playoffs, shifting the home-court advantage back to the Spurs, who now lead the series 2-1 before the fourth game on Sunday in Minneapolis.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¡Escándalo en los playoffs NBA! Chris Finch estalla contra Tony Brothers tras una tensa bronca en pleno partido