The Minnesota Timberwolves may have walked away with a crucial playoff win, but head coach Chris Finch wasn’t interested in celebrating quietly. Instead, he used the moment to call out what he clearly believes is injustice.
After the Timberwolves leveled the series against the Denver Nuggets with a 119–114 win in Game 2, Finch sat down for his regular postgame press conference. But his attention soon turned to the Defensive Player of the Year announcement, which had been revealed just a few hours earlier.
While Victor Wembanyama won his first DPOY award, Finch addressed his disappointment with the finalists. “It’s a joke that he wasn’t a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year,” Finch said of Rudy Gobert being snubbed. “I thought it was incredibly disrespectful. It’s just laughable and small minded and petty all the crap that people decide to give Rudy”.
The other two finalists, along with Wembanyama, were the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and the Pistons’ Ausar Thompson. Finch’s frustration can be understood, as Gobert had more rebounds (872) than all three DPOY nominees. The Timberwolves star also had 15 more steals than Holmgren and 55 more blocks than Thompson.
Gobert has been the backbone of the Timberwolves’ defensive system all season. Though he already has four Defensive Player of the Year awards, the French star continues to perform at a high level for his team. And with Finch’s backing, Gobert could flourish further in the NBA playoffs.
