Timberwolves coach slams NBA ref for confrontation: 'Completely unprofessional behavior'

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It's fairly common for a coach to confront an official in sports and for there sometimes to be some heated words said between the two parties.

But: Have you ever seen a referee confront the coach... and have to be held back from it? Such was the case between veteran official Tony Brothers and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

During a timeout, Brothers had to be separated from Finch as the ref step toward him in a heated manner. What exactly happened there in the T-Wolves loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night?

Per Finch, after the game, as he recounted for reporters:

Chris Finch on his interaction with Tony Brothers:

"I wanted the timeout and I said I want my 3 seconds back. He clearly heard me. He lost it. Then I went to ask him where the ball was gonna be taken in and he was screaming at me for that. So completely unprofessional behavior… https://t.co/2EzXqtpM7spic.twitter.com/zLImoRFTAX

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 9, 2026

Tony Brothers and Chris Finch during the last timeout lolpic.twitter.com/YyTER8FsGP

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 9, 2026

"I wanted the timeout, and I called it three seconds earlier. ... I said, 'I want my three seconds back.' He clearly heard me. He ignored me, went on with the play. Almost cost us a turnover. And then he lost it. Then, I went to ask him where the ball was gonna be taken in and he was screaming at me for that. So, completely unprofessional behavior by him"

Yikes.

Who is NBA referee Tony Brothers?​

He's in his 32nd year as an official, with over 1,800 regular-season games under his belt to go along with NBA Finals experience.

Anthony Edwards weighed in on the Tony Brothers confrontation​

Anthony Edwards on the confrontation: “Competition at the highest level. We want to win. Finchy want to win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers. We all love him.”https://t.co/IySM6Fidv1pic.twitter.com/xuM0jW7EVD

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 9, 2026

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Timberwolves' Chris Finch rips NBA ref Tony Brothers for confrontation

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