Let the game within the game begin.
Chris Finch isn’t satisfied just because his Timberwolves stole Game 1 on the road against the San Antonio Spurs Monday night.
The Timberwolves head coach is not pleased with Victor Wembanyama’s playoff-record tally of 12 blocks in Minnesota’s 104-102 Game 1 win. In fact, he’s not convinced they were all blocks.
Finch expressed his disappointment Tuesday in how officials called — or didn’t call — Wembanyama’s blocks Monday night.
When asked about Victor Wembanyama’s 12 blocks in Game 1, Chris Finch said that at least 4 of the 12 were goaltends, and that it was “alarming” that Wembanyama wasn’t called for a single goaltend.
“When we looked at em, at least four of them were goaltending… To me, it’s a… pic.twitter.com/sW0xBTYpUB
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 5, 2026
“When we looked at ‘em, at least four of them were goaltending,” Finch told reporters in a a media scrum. “Maybe even a fifth. To me it’s a little alarming that none of them were called.
“Here’s a generational shot blocker who’s 7-foot-6 who goes after everything, and there’s no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends?”
Finch went on to specifically call out Wembanyama’s second called block of the game of a layup attempt by Terrence Shannon Jr.
“The third possession of the game was a goaltend,” Finch continued. “It was a clean, obvious one. So let’s just say there were four. That’s eight points. You know the value of eight points in an NBA game? Massive.”
Finch isn’t wrong. At least in regard to the third possession of the game.
Shannon attacked the basket in transition with Wembanyama trailing. Wembanyama blocked Shannon’s layup attempt clearly after the ball hit the glass.
Refs decided goaltending was an optional call this game for Wemby… pic.twitter.com/a9Rrz4wGON
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) May 5, 2026
This should have been an easy goaltending call. But it wasn’t.
The game remained in a scoreless tie, and Wembanyama was credited with two blocks in two Minnesota possessions after blocking another Shannon layup attempt on the first possession of the game.
This set the tone for Wembanyama’s record-setting night. Finch did his best on Tuesday to ensure that it didn’t set the tone for the entire series.
Gaming the refs through media is a time-tested tradition in the NBA playoffs as coaches seek to gain an advantage wherever they can in a best-of-seven series. It helps their cause when they have video evidence to back up their case, which Finch indisputably does here with at least one should-be goaltend.
Be on the lookout for how Wembanyama’s blocks are officiated in Game 2 and beyond. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).