The Minnesota Timberwolves were not happy with the 16 free throws that Jamal Murray had in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday. Murray struggled to shoot from the field and only made 31.8% of his shots. However, he still managed to score 30 points, thanks to the 16 free throws he shot.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was not happy with the number of shots that the one-time All-Star shot in their first contest this postseason. However, Murray believes that he deserved every shot attempt he had from the charity stripe. The star guard said that the officials made the right foul calls on him, which earned him multiple trips to the line.
Nuggets' David Adelman Claps Back at Chris Finch
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On Monday, the Nuggets took to build off their 1-0 series lead for Game 2. Before the contest, head coach David Adelman addressed Finch's comments about Murray.
Everyone 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 they do. They toe the line,” Adelman said via ESPN's Anthony Slater on X.
“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. I go: ‘Why are we fouling so much?’”
Finch wasn't happy that the Nuggets shot 33 times at the free-throw line, while the Timberwolves only had 19 attempts.
“I thought we played really good defense. I thought, on him, a lot of those ones in the second quarter, we were there. We were physical, we were vertical,” the coach commented. “He initiated the contact, he spills away, and then he gets rewarded for it. Jokic does the same thing. We’ve got to be solid around that. 16 free throws is a lot.”
Ahead of Game 2, Finch has not moved on from how their first matchup was officiated. The head coach criticized how referees tend to reward players who oversell contact, giving them more opportunities at the free-throw line, during his pregame presser. He also joked about having his players start flopping to earn shots at the line.
The outcome of Game 2 will be greatly influenced by how the game is officiated.
