Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman had an interesting response to Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach Chris Finch after his rant about free throws in Game 1.
Before their Game 2 clash, which the Timberwolves won, 119-114, Adelman expressed his perspective about seeing other players earn free throws, just like Jamal Murray in Game 1, where he had 16 attempts.
“I do think sometimes when you watch film, you just say, ‘Yeah, I think I got fouled,’” Adelman said in Game 2’s pre-game press conference. “Believe me, when we play Shai or somebody who shoots a lot of free throws, and I go back to the clips, I don’t say, ‘I can’t believe you got all those calls.’ I go, ‘Why are we fouling him so much?”
Nuggets won Game 1, 116-105, after shooting 33 free throws, while the Timberwolves only had 19. In Game 2, both teams shot 30 free throws.
This came after Finch called out the referees and players for fishing calls and flopping in the playoffs.
“Maybe we gotta start flopping, too,” Finch said before Game 2. “Julius is not a flopper. Ant is not a flopper. They are physical drivers. They play through the first line of contact. A lot of times, that point of contact, if you were to spill away, you get a foul. But if you keep going, [referees] take a play-on mentality.”
Finch had been vocal about opposing players’ free-throw tendencies. In last season’s playoffs, he called out OKC Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for his volume of fouls drawn during their Western Conference Finals series, which the Thunder won in five games.
In Game 2 of the first round, Murray, a target of Finch during his recent rant, only had two free throws and struggled throughout the game, shooting 11-of-25 from the field.
Still, the Timberwolves picked up 30 fouls, six more than the Nuggets in Game 2.
Nuggets Coach Says Everyone Politics For Calls After Playoff Games
GettyDavid Adelman speaks on perceived Nuggets advantage in referees’ calls.
David Adelman understood Chris Finch’s motivation after losing Game 1. Adelman acknowledged that everyone always tries to politic their way for more calls and free throws after a game, especially in the playoffs.
He also commended the Timberwolves’ physicality and how it pushed the likes of Murray to difficult situations throughout the game.
“It’s the playoffs. Everyone politics after games,” Adelman said. “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. They toe the line.”
Unlike in Game 1, Murray struggled to play through the Timberwolves’ physicality as referees gave more leeway in Game 2. In one instance, the officials did not even call a foul on Murray’s 3-point attempt despite contact during his shot.
Timberwolves Regain Homecourt Advantage Entering Game 3
GettyThe Denver Nuggets and the Timberwolves will shift the series to Minnesota.
With the win in Game 2, the Timberwolves bring the homecourt advantage to Minnesota for Game 3.
The Nuggets led by as much as 18 points in Game 2, before the Timberwolves got going behind Anthony Edwards and the defensive impact of Rudy Gobert to contain Denver’s one-two punch Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Game 3 will tip off on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. The game is expected to have a hostile atmosphere as the series heats up.
Nuggets, Timberwolves Coaches Have Scathing Back-And-Forth About Referees’ Calls