標籤: Finch

週二晚上，NBA 宣布 Victor Wembanyama 贏得了許多人認為的他職業生涯中眾多年度最佳防守球員獎項中的第一個獎項。溫班亞馬在帶領聖安東尼奧馬刺隊重返季後賽的過程中發揮了重要作用——馬刺隊在上個常規賽中的防守排名聯盟第三。但在周一晚上，明尼蘇達灰狼隊中鋒魯迪·戈伯特表明，他應該比他本人更值得考慮獲得該獎項。

每次與丹佛金塊隊球星尼古拉·約基奇交鋒時，戈貝爾似乎總是能應付自如，對於普通球迷來說，他的價值再明顯不過了，週一他在灰狼隊以 119-114 擊敗這位三屆 MVP 的比賽中放慢了腳步。

約基奇仍然貢獻了數據（24分、15個籃板、8次助攻），但戈貝爾讓他在場上打出8勝20負的成績。由於戈貝爾的存在，灰狼隊繼續證明他們是對陣金塊隊的最佳對決之一，主教練克里斯·芬奇對他的首發中鋒贊不絕口——猛烈抨擊了多年來對戈貝爾表現出如此不尊重的所有人。

芬奇在賽後新聞發布會上通過 ClutchPoints 的托默·阿扎利 (Tomer Azarly) 表示：“他沒有入圍年度最佳防守球員的決賽，這是一個笑話……我認為這是非常不尊重的……人們決定給魯迪說這些廢話，真是可笑、心胸狹隘、小氣。”

事實上，戈貝爾甚至沒有進入DPOY投票的前三名；這位灰狼隊的大個子排名第四，落後於溫班亞馬、切特·霍姆格倫和奧薩爾·湯普森。

也許這只是選民疲勞的另一個例子，因為他在他傳奇的職業生涯中四次獲得了最佳防守球員獎。不管怎樣，戈貝爾無論如何都會讓他的比賽來說話，而金塊隊必須非常警惕他在第一輪比賽中的前進。

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 108-104 on Friday night. After the loss, head coach Chris Finch criticized Julius Randle for his effort, or lack thereof, on the glass.

According to Timberwolves reporter Dan Moore, speaking to media members on Saturday morning, Finch name-dropped Randle when he criticized his team for struggling to rebound the ball in recent games. Finch is clearly not impressed with the 31-year-old’s stellar efforts.

“We just have to get the rebound, and we can’t,” Finch said. “From the time the shot goes up, it takes a while… It’s been like that for a while. It’s not good enough… Julius has three defensive rebounds, which is not good enough. Just not good enough.”

Chris Finch on the Wolves’ recent rebounding issues and Julius Randle’s efforts on the glass being “not good enough.”

“We just have to get a rebound, and we can’t. There’s like a lag from the time the shot goes up… It’s been like that for a while. It’s not like that at all… pic.twitter.com/6CiWWjZjCM

– Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 21 March 2026

Julius Randle finished Friday’s contest with 19 points (team high), five rebounds, four assists and one steal. He shot only 37.5% from the floor and failed to record a single three-point shot. Rudy Gobert (15 boards) and Ayo Dosunmu (10 boards) led the Timberwolves in rebounding against the Blazers.

Chris Finch, who is 56, might be right to call out the 12-year veteran for his bruising struggles. Randle is averaging a career-low 6.8 rebounds per contest this season. In fact, his rebounding numbers have decreased in every season since the 2022-23 campaign.

In 71 games played this year, Julius Randle is averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 48.4% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the three-point line. Randle will have another chance to return as a rebounder on Sunday when the Timberwolves take on the Boston Celtics.

While Rudy Gobert is undoubtedly one of the league’s most complete centers, certain aspects of his offensive game have come under closer scrutiny recently. Among them is his pass-catching ability, with many critics noting how he struggles to catch passes in traffic or during sharp dives, which inadvertently causes turnovers for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

According to a post on X by Dan Moore, that aspect of his game was brought up during Chris Finch’s press conference after his team’s 147-111 win over the Utah Jazz.

When Chris Finch was asked about the possessions where Rudy Gobert drops catchable passes and how his players handle those possessions, thought it was an informative answer.

“They know that if Rudy drops one of their passes, not to look to me for sympathy, because sometimes he… pic.twitter.com/uQmwd7lHHx

– Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 19 March 2026

“They know if Rudy drops one of his passes, don’t look to me for sympathy, because sometimes he’s going to do that. I tell them to keep throwing them. We have to. It’s more worth it… I’ll take some of those turnovers if we’re trying to make the right play,” Finch said, effectively claiming that he wants his team to continue passing it to Gobert despite the turnovers.

Of course, it paid off in Minnesota’s latest outing, where Gobert was once again dominant defensively, but he had a few incidents with his pass-catching. The French international still finished with his second consecutive double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

He went 9-12 from the field and also had a steal and two blocks. Gobert continues to be a great interior threat offensively, despite currently averaging 10.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, which is his lowest scoring since the 2015–16 campaign.

Regardless, against the Jazz, the Timberwolves saw Ayo Dosunmu top scoring with 23 points in the absence of Anthony Edwards, with Julius Randle also finishing with 21 points. The latter also recorded eight assists and four steals against Utah.

Additionally, Bones Highland scored 18 points off the bench, going 3-7 from three-point field. For the Jazz, Bryce Sensabaugh top-scored with 41 points, while Ace Bailey and Isaiah Collier added 17 and 14 points, respectively. Minnesota will now host the Portland Trail Blazers while the Jazz will take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the next match.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch had some words for the officials after Sunday’s 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards was cleared to play in a matinee on the road, Minnesota trailed in the final frame, where the Thunder outscored their opponent 36–27.

In the second half, the Thunder took a two-point lead amid a tough contest. Then, Edwards fouled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a 3-point play, turning Oklahoma City’s 13-point lead into a 16-point lead. According to Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza, he said, Finch did not back down from his complaint with the officials related to Edwards’ serious foul on Gilgeous-Alexander.

“The first one was probably a foul. What was unfortunate was they called a little grab on the inbounds play. It’s going on all over the place,” Finch said. “I still maintain that he doesn’t get as much respect defensively as he should. If you watch his guys play defense, they get caught a lot, which is OK. That’s part of the game. Then, you call him out – take him straight out of the game – that was tough for us.”

A reporter’s follow-up question focused on Isaiah Hartenstein, who returned to the Thunder’s lineup from a calf injury, and the starting center’s impact from the top of the key, where he did his damage passing and setting screens.

“We fell behind them a little bit,” Finch said. “Back then, we weren’t in a position to make emergency assists, you know. Had to struggle through those screens. We know he’s a playmaker. That’s what he does. Thought some of them were highly questionable whether they were legal or not, it didn’t matter. Got to struggle and you had to miss them.”

Edwards, who spent time in front of Gilgeous-Alexander all day, finished with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting, including 2 of 5 from deep, six rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal against the Thunder.

Julius Randle, Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves fall short

While the final score between the Thunder and Timberwolves showed a 13-point difference, this Western Conference Finals matchup was much more competitive than the scores indicated. Anthony Edwards had a valiant all-around effort on both ends of the floor in the 127-117 win after his 40-point game. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch just wants his team not to fall behind.

However, the Thunder showed their depth around All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (20 points) and Chet Holmgren (21 points), who combined to score 41 points, while Isaiah Joe scored 20 of the Thunder’s 61 points off the bench. Alex Caruso added 17 points, and Jared McCain connected on five 3-pointers.

The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday in a marquee matchup in the Western Conference.

The Timberwolves are trying to break a two-game skid, while the Clippers have been on a roll recently, winning five of their last six games, with Kawhi Leonard playing at an MVP level.

Stopping Leonard will require a collective effort from Minnesota, with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels being the primary on-ball stoppers. But clearly, Rudy Gobert remains their defensive anchor.

The Athletic’s Law Miller points to significant decline in Timberwolves defensive efficiency When Gobert is off the field this season. When asked about it, Minnesota coach Chris Finch emphasized Gobert’s importance and acknowledged his shortcomings.

“When he’s off the floor, we need to protect the rim differently. Better on the ball, better around the ball and earlier at the rim. Obviously, we’ve been inconsistent at times with things like that this year,” Finch said.

“He’s huge for us. It takes some nuances to play with a guy like Rudy. When he’s off the field, you have to transition to a different mentality defensively.”

The Timberwolves’ defensive efficiency with Rudy Gobert this season: 107.7

The Timberwolves’ defensive efficiency with Rudy Gobert this season: 116.7

asked Chris Finch about this pic.twitter.com/nWVDpE6B75

– Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) 12 March 2026

Many have mocked the 33-year-old Gobert for his lack of offensive skills and awkward antics. But there’s no denying that he can be a game-changer on the defensive end.

He’s not a four-time Defensive Player of the Year for nothing.

Edwards has often talked about his defensive identity and how important it is for him and Gobert to set the tone.

Entering their game against the Clippers, the Timberwolves are allowing 114.5 points per game. But as Finch said, there is still room for improvement overall.

At the time of writing, there is a close game between Minnesota and Los Angeles in the first half.

Chris Finch reveals what went wrong in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 119-92 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Finch is in the sixth season of his head coaching career with the Timberwolves. He hopes to lead the franchise to its third consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance, while attempting to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in history.

However, they have to go through ups and downs in the regular season. According to reporter Dan Moore, their blowout loss to the Magic was an example of the latter, as Finch explained after the game why the team did not play up to its usual high standards.

Finch said, “I thought there was a massive effort. I thought there were a lot of gameplan breakdowns that really hurt us. They may have looked like lack of effort playing games, but I think they were more mental lapses than physical effort.”

Chris Finch was asked how much of the Wolves’ 27-point loss at home to Orlando today had to do with effort.

“I thought a fair amount of the effort was there. I just thought there were a lot of gameplan breakdowns that really hurt us. They may have looked like lack of effort plays, but they were… pic.twitter.com/dZua8QnHkl

– Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 7 March 2026

Chris Finch, how the Timberwolves performed against the Magic

Chris Finch knows the Timberwolves are capable of beating the Magic. However, his performance on both sides of the ball left much to be desired all night.

Four players scored in double figures for Minnesota in the win. Anthony Edwards led the way with a stat line of 34 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He made 8 of 18 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. Julius Randle came next with 14 points and nine rebounds, Naz Reed had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Rudy Gobert provided 12 points and eight rebounds.

Minnesota fell to a 40–24 record on the season and finished fourth in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, while trailing the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.

The Timberwolves will look to bounce back in their next game while on the road. They will face the Lakers as tip-off takes place on March 10 at 11 pm ET.

Julius Randle had a tough performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Minnesota Timberwolves star forward had an uncharacteristically quiet game on Sunday night. He had 18 points in the game, but he was quiet everywhere else, too. He recorded 15 points, and what’s even more worrying is that he only had three boards and three assists.

For a player who serves as the center of attack and the lead defender, this is an unacceptable performance. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has an explanation for why Randle’s play was so bad today.

“Finch said Julius Randle was “pretty seriously screwed” tonight,” John Krawczynski reported on X. “Only 3 boards and 3 assists from him.”

Randle was -20 in his 31 minutes of action against the 76ers, and made only one of his five three-point attempts. The former All-Star was largely ineffective for the Timberwolves in the game, as they struggled to gain momentum. Minnesota lost to Philadelphia 135–108, despite Joel Embiid missing the game for the 76ers and star guard Anthony Edwards scoring 28 points.

The Timberwolves were also playing with key players. Star center Rudy Gobert was out against the 76ers with a suspension after committing his seventh flagrant foul a few days earlier. Meanwhile, Sixth Man of the Year contender Naz Reid is also out with injury. Philadelphia’s physicality forced the shorthanded Wolves into 21 turnovers, Randle forced two while Edwards forced seven.

“They were good physically, they’re good defensively, they’re super hands-on, they’re active in gaps,” Finch said. “We struggled in the game. We got into traffic, we didn’t get the ball early. All those things that happen when you play in a rush.”

The Wolves’ record is now 35-23. Despite the loss, losses to the remaining Western Conference contenders meant the Timberwolves were still within striking distance of the third seed and still in control of the sixth seed in the conference.