Tempers flared right at the start of Friday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was ejected less than six minutes into the game after he went off on the officials in spectacular fashion over some non-calls.
Coach Finch crash out.
He’s been ejected less than 6 minutes in.
pic.twitter.com/egUIRt3bhf
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 20, 2025
Finch was clearly using some rather colorful language there at Courtney Kirkland, Nick Buchert, and John Butler. As far as coaching outbursts go, that is the fiercest one we have seen this season, and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see a more intense one at any point the rest of the way.
Finch had been frustrated about some non-calls earlier in the game, and this last sequence led to him completely losing his cool. You’d imagine he’d have wanted a foul called on Anthony Edwards‘ drive to the basket, and when Julius Randle was stripped after he got the offensive rebound.
You can see Finch get on the court and give an earful to Butler right after the play. The official immediately blew the whistle to call a technical foul, but that did little to deter the 56-year-old.
“YOU’RE A PIECE OF SH*T!”
Chris Finch to the ref 😭 pic.twitter.com/NeRoYX7SDJ
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 20, 2025
Finch continued to blast the crew and had to be held back by his coaching staff. Another technical and an ejection were inevitable, and Micah Nori, his top assistant, has now taken over.
It isn’t perhaps all too surprising that Finch went off here. He exploded at an official during the 116-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday for blowing two calls, and some of that anger could well have carried over here. Finch has also publicly expressed his frustration over how games against the Thunder are officiated.
“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said. “They really do. They foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander0. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to play through it.”
Finch wasn’t the first to complain about this, and he won’t be the last. Keep in mind, this wasn’t a case of a head coach being salty after a loss. Finch made these comments after the Timberwolves had beaten the Thunder 131-128 in overtime on Feb. 24, 2025. Repeating that result here was going to be hard for the 17-10 Timberwolves, and his ejection has only made it all the more difficult.
