When things aren’t always going well for an NBA team, the scapegoat is often the head coach. That was the case this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a bit of a roller coaster year for the club, and much of the fan base has gone to social media to express their displeasure with the job Chris Finch has done.
That same head coach deserves a lot of credit for his team’s performance in Game 2 on Monday against the Denver Nuggets, though. Facing an early 0-2 hole in the opening round, the Timberwolves turned it around, starting in the second quarter to secure the victory. They instead head back home with the series tied at 1-1.
Seemed to push the right buttons in Game 2
First, let’s give credit for the game plan on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Sure, it helps rostering Rudy Gobert, but the Joker has had some ridiculous performances against him before. Still, Denver has done what it can to get the ball out of his hands and is really making him work on defense.Â
There was also about a three-minute stint in the second quarter where the team went with more of a small-ball lineup. Gobert picked up his third foul early in the second, and Naz Reid later went to the bench for a breather. Minnesota scored 12 points in that time without a traditional center while only giving up five.
After not playing in the second half of Game 1, Bones Hyland was an offensive spark on Monday, scoring seven points in less than six minutes after halftime. The 25-year-old connected on two 3-pointers in the first quarter but also picked up three fouls.
It was nice seeing Finch turn back to him, and Bones rewarded him with a strong offensive performance. I was skeptical if Finch would play Hyland in Game 2 after a subpar Game 1 where he saw limited playing time, but the head coach showed he still has belief in him after a surprising regular season.
The offense really began to click after the first quarter as well. After going down 44-25 less than a minute into the second, Minnesota scored 94 points over the remainder of the contest, shooting 35-65 (53.8%) in that time. Everyone seemed to be connected on that end, and some of the credit belongs to the head coach for that.
Finch is the franchise’s all-time leader in winning percentage and the team record holder in playoff wins. Despite that, he has his fair share of detractors.
Let’s just hope those detractors have enough sense to give him credit when he clearly deserves it.
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