The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season didn’t end with a whimper — it reportedly ended with a self-inflicted wound that head coach Chris Finch now admits could have been avoided. And according to sources close to the situation, Finch is ‘still kicking himself’ over what he’s calling a ‘massive mistake’ in the second-round playoff elimination against the San Antonio Spurs.
During a candid appearance on KFAN1003, Finch reportedly acknowledged that his defensive adjustments in Game 6 backfired catastrophically, turning what should have been a dogfight into a 139-109 rout that sent the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals — and left Minnesota searching for answers.
“I felt that going into Game 6 we tried to make some adjustments that were clearly not right,” Finch admitted, according to audio obtained by our sources. “I kick myself for doing it just because I felt we probably didn’t need to be as extreme… I flipped the matchups around, we put Rudy on Castle, we started with Julius on Wemby.”
The plan? Try to throw off Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama early, something the reigning Defensive Player of the Year had exploited throughout the series. But the gamble didn’t just fail — it allegedly created a monster on the other side of the floor.
Plan Backfires: Castle Explodes While Wembanyama Still Gets His
Insiders say the adjustment was designed to be a temporary shock to the Spurs’ system, but the unintended consequence was a breakout performance from rookie Stephon Castle — a player Minnesota reportedly had no answer for after the switch. Castle erupted for a career-defining 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on blistering 11-for-16 shooting, including 5-of-7 from deep, in just 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama still managed to produce, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and two assists while shooting 6-for-11 from the field. Sources say the Spurs’ two-headed monster was simply too much for Minnesota’s scrambled defense.
“We were trying to mitigate Wemby’s hot starts and we did a good job — but then Castle got loose on us,” Finch reportedly said. “It wasn’t a scheme that we were overly comfortable with. We’ve done it from time to time, and maybe it just wouldn’t have been the time to do it. So, looking back, I probably would not do it again. Of course I would not do it again.”
What This Could Mean for Minnesota’s Offseason
The admission raises serious questions about the Timberwolves’ coaching staff heading into what insiders are calling a ‘pivotal’ offseason. With Minnesota falling two wins short of a third straight Western Conference Finals appearance, some league observers are reportedly buzzing about whether Finch’s moment of tactical overreach should be seen as an isolated misstep or a worrying pattern.
One Western Conference scout, speaking on condition of anonymity, told us: “You don’t overthink matchups like that in a close-out game. Wemby is going to get his, but you live with that if you can lock down everyone else. They let Castle become the story — and that’s on coaching.”
Finch, for his part, has publicly taken the blame, but insiders say the Timberwolves front office will be closely evaluating every decision from the playoff run. With key roster decisions looming and a competitive West only getting tougher, the pressure is now on Minnesota to prove that this was just a learning experience — not a sign of things to come.
Leave a Comment