The Minnesota Timberwolves had a lot of things contribute to their downfall in the Western Conference semifinals. But by the time their six-game series against the San Antonio Spurs had ended, referee Tony Brothers became just as much of a villain as Victor Wembanyama.
Brothers drew the ire of the Timberwolves after a heated confrontation in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. But instead of being reprimanded, he put himself back in the spotlight as the Spurs battled the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
With a hair-trigger whistle that has been a driving force in two Oklahoma City wins, Spurs fans may be finding out why the Timberwolves were so frustrated with Brothers and it’s a controversy that doesn’t seem to be going away as San Antonio finds itself one loss away from elimination.
Tony Brothers continue to alter the NBA Playoffs after Timberwolves altercation
Brothers wasn’t a thorn in the Timberwolves’ side this year as Minnesota posted a 4-1 record during his assignments in the regular season according to Basketball Reference. The personal foul numbers also were even with 20.8 called against the Wolves and 20.2 fouls against the opponent in those five games, but all of that went out the window in the Game 3 altercation with Finch.
With Minnesota trailing 102-100 with just over five minutes left in regulation, Finch asked Brothers for a timeout. Brothers initially did not grant Finch the timeout, causing the Timberwolves coach to ask for time back on the clock. That didn’t sit well with Brothers who screamed at Finch and had to be held back by Minnesota players to de-escalate the situation before play resumed.
“Pretty unprofessional, huh?” Finch said after the game via the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Chris Hine. “I wanted the timeout. I had called it three seconds earlier, and I wanted the timeout. I said ‘I want my three seconds back.’ Because he clearly heard me. He looked my way, ignored me, went on with the play, and then gave me it. It almost cost us the turnover.”
The Wolves went on to lose that game 115-108 and while fouls were at a just a 25-23 advantage for San Antonio, the Spurs had a 33-21 advantage in free throw attempts, helping them close out the game.
Brothers didn’t officiate another game in the series, but he was also never reprimanded by the NBA for the altercation with Finch. That allowed him to officiate during the Western Conference Finals and welcome everyone to “The Ref Show.”
The first assignment came in Game 2 of the series, which the Thunder won by a score of 122-113. But while fouls were even at 21 for each team, Oklahoma City had a 24-17 advantage at the free throw line and had numerous fouls called as the result of Thunder players flopping.
The tension reached its peak in the Game 5 matchup on Wednesday night. With the Spurs trailing 98-88, the officials missed a goaltending call against Carson Wallace, who swatted a Luke Kornet tip-in that was still sitting on the rim, out of bounds.
As the possession continued, a loose ball went off the foot of Chet Holmgren but was ruled Thunder basketball. After the officials decided not to overturn the call in a quick meeting, San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson and the entire Spurs bench signaled to challenge the ruling but it was not granted, causing Johnson to earn a technical foul from Brothers after berating the officials.
The sequence played a key role in the Spurs’ 127-114 loss to the Thunder and while there were other reasons why the Spurs lost, it shows why the Wolves were so upset at Brothers when the previous series ended.
Officiating in the playoffs is not an enviable task for anyone and Brothers has a long history of antagonizing players, coaches and fans during his 32-year career. But Wednesday’s events may have given the Timberwolves some flashbacks as Brothers isn’t making himself any friends during this year’s playoffs.
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