Timberwolves coach Finch blasts Murray's free throws in Game 1 loss 2026

Chris Finch criticizes league’s foul-drawing trend after Jamal Murray attempts 16 free throws in Denver’s Game 1 win.

Finch vents frustration in Denver During a Monday night media session in Denver before Game 2, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch once again expressed his displeasure with Jamal Murray’s 16 free throw attempts in the Nuggets’ opening playoff victory. Finch remarked, 'Maybe we gotta start flopping, too.' His comments subtly highlighted what he sees as a growing issue across the league: players exaggerating contact while attacking the rim and waving their arms to draw foul calls. ## Contact rules spark debate over officiating Finch went on to contrast Murray’s free throw haul with his own team’s struggles at the line, noting that his leading scorers, Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards, combined for just nine free throws in their loss. Denver’s team total was 33 free throws, while Minnesota managed only 19. Finch defended Randle and Edwards as physical drivers who play through initial contact, arguing that referees often adopt a 'play-on' mentality that penalizes those who absorb contact rather than react to it. ## Adelman fires back at foul accusations Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman pushed back against Finch’s implication that Murray benefited from lenient officiating, pointing out that four of Murray’s 16 free throws came from a flagrant foul on a three-pointer and a technical foul. Adelman stated, 'So it was 12 [free throws]. And he got fouled.' He added, 'It's the playoffs. Everyone [talks politics] after games. But let's at least list out the 16 free throws and what actually happened. This wasn't a game where he was walking to the line. He was playing through a lot of physicality. It's what [the Timberwolves] do.' ## Coaches clash over foul-drawing culture Finch conceded that 'some of them were fouls' but argued that upon review, not all were deserving of whistles. He claimed the league has shifted toward rewarding players who draw contact and exaggerate contact by flailing, while those who power through early contact near the rim are often not credited. 'The league is in a place right now where you draw contact, spill away, you get rewarded,' Finch explained. 'Guys who try to play through contact, that first level of contact and stay with the drive, they tend not to be rewarded.' ## Rivalry reignites with playoff history The Timberwolves and Nuggets renewed their heated playoff rivalry in the first round of the 2026 postseason, a rematch of their intense seven-game battle in 2024 that helped fuel one of the NBA’s most compelling rivalries. The verbal sparring between the two head coaches intensified ahead of Game 2, with both sides dissecting officiating decisions from the opener. Adelman acknowledged that some calls may have been correct but questioned the frequency of fouls committed by his own team when facing high-volume free throw shooters. ## Adelman defends officiating calls Adelman suggested that frustration over free throws is common when facing elite players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he cautioned against second-guessing calls without context. 'There are nights, believe me, where we play Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] or somebody who shoots a lot of free throws and I don't go back to clips saying, 'I can't believe he got all these calls,' Adelman said. 'I go: Why are we fouling so much?'