Chris Finch rips Timberwolves after lackluster second half against Hawks

Finch did not hold back in his postgame press conference.
ByWill Eudy|
Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves
Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Monday night featured a 100-92 win for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Atlanta Hawks, but the game nearly ended up much differently. Or at the very least, it was much too close for comfort for the likes of Chris Finch.

The Timberwolves' coach ripped his team in his postgame press conference, calling them out for their lacking performance in the second half. Finch's rant felt deserved, and many even thought it was overdue.

"We made it close. They didn't make it close," Finch said. "That's a totally unacceptable second half of basketball ... that's not good enough." Perhaps the most concerning part of Minnesota's struggles in the second half was concerning the quality of their opponent.

The Hawks were down three starters and one reserve against the Timberwolves on Monday. Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr. all did not participate. Of course, what that means is that this should have been an easy win for Minnesota, at least on paper.

Finch: Timberwolves had "totally unacceptable" second half

But for those who have followed this team for a while, and especially for those who were around during the 2022-23 season, playing down to an opponent is nothing new, unfortunately. That Timberwolves team had a particularly tough time taking down teams toward the bottom of the standings, being swept by teams like the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets.

Many Wolves fans still have PTSD from the April 2023 home loss to the Trail Blazers - a game in which Portland started Skylar Mays, Shaedon Sharpe, Kevin Knox, Trendon Watford and Drew Eubanks. They were 19.5-point underdogs, and ended up winning against Minnesota, securing the largest point spread upset in the NBA in 30 years at the time.

Monday's game had a similar feeling of a big time trap game, and Finch was not shy in calling out his players for failing to come out with more intensity in the second half. "We come out here and we bulls---," he said. "And it starts with our top guys."

It was certainly frustrating that the Wolves did not use the second half to put an undermanned team to sleep and go up by 20 or more. But this kind of message is just what you want to see from your coach after such a performance.

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