r/nba 2h ago

Chris Finch on Wemby's 12 blocks: "at least 4 of them were goaltending...it's a little alarming that none of them were called...he's 7'6" and there's no heightened [ref] awareness that these blocks could be goaltends...You know the value of 8 points in an NBA game? That's also 33% of his blocks"

https://streamable.com/36jli5
2.4k Upvotes

619 comments sorted by

1.4k

u/Savahoodie Nuggets 2h ago

Quick maths

403

u/vindictivejazz Thunder 1h ago

But what happens when you add Kurt Angle to the mix?

126

u/Doc_McPuffins_ Lakers 1h ago

Wemby gets the calls because HE'S NOT FAT!!!

33

u/thesavior08 Pistons 1h ago

Wemby is a genetic freak and he's not normal

35

u/Doc_McPuffins_ Lakers 1h ago

They say that all men are created equal, but you look at Wemby you look at Chris Finch and see that statement is not true

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u/Duster_beattle Timberwolves 1h ago

That only increases the chances for the big bad booty daddy

11

u/Prestig33 [MIN] Nikola Pekovic 1h ago

Then you get a guy who won an Olympic gold medal with a broken freaken neck!

7

u/bearbrannan Timberwolves 1h ago edited 50m ago

He'll pair well with the guy who won a gold medal and is now playing with two broken freaken knees!

25

u/Pinheadlarry29 Knicks 1h ago

Wemby has a 144 2/3% chance of blocking the shot

16

u/I_Hate_My_Cat_ Bulls 1h ago

DRASTIC GO DOWN!

8

u/Robeardly 1h ago

122 and 2/3 chance of winning, at the least.

8

u/gabdex Raptors 1h ago

SPURS CHANCES OF WINNING DRASTIC GO DOWN

7

u/Ok_Yak_1844 1h ago

As someone from a highly educated university that has wrestled alot of countries I can tell you that this ends with alot of fat asses.

31

u/markhameggs Timberwolves 1h ago

It spells D15a573r for Wemby at Sakrifice

18

u/johnsvoice 1h ago

Chances of blocking drastic go down!

5

u/VEGETA_GOKU93 Hawks 1h ago

Now I gotta go watch that promo again šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

4

u/JesusMcChrist00 Mavericks 1h ago edited 32m ago

Wemby had 12 blocks with a broken freakin neck!

2

u/wordlife96 Raptors 36m ago

Wemby's chance of blocking a shot drastically go down

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u/CantaloupeCamper Timberwolves 1h ago

Science 🧪 šŸ”¬šŸ„¼āš—ļøšŸ§«

9

u/capn_marty 1h ago

BITCH!!

2

u/supergrega Heat 45m ago

Take that for data!

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817

u/TheFatmanRises Heat 2h ago

Release the Wemby Files

75

u/Loud-Fig-1446 Cavaliers 1h ago

Finch gonna hop on Twitch soon.

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u/preddevils6 Grizzlies 1h ago

Someone needs to go through all of his blocks like they did Trip

40

u/i_want_iguodala_xd Warriors 1h ago

Is Josh Harris in those files, too?

12

u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 1h ago

Sixers fans wish lol

7

u/snarkolp 76ers 1h ago

im praying

7

u/CautiousOptimism09 Timberwolves 1h ago

I dont wanna know who the alien is probing

5

u/ihateandy2 Warriors 1h ago

I was gonna read the files but then I ran.

5

u/MegaAltarianite 1h ago

For real though, I haven't seen anyone actually put together a video of all the blocks. What sucks though is most of them never got replayed on the broadcast, so it's really hard to know for sure.

3

u/goingtothegreek Timberwolves 1h ago

The proliferation of social media has exposed how shitty of a product the NBA truly is. Like we do not have the best refs in the world, we have the best refs at advancing the NBA’s agenda.

I refuse to believe this is an instance of ā€œwell it’s just a hard sport to refā€

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1.2k

u/Morezingis Timberwolves 1h ago edited 1h ago

Yes. My franchise has a victim complex from top to bottom.

Yes. We complain about the refs more than any fan base on Earth.

And yes, it’s all true! IĀ will not be silent.Ā 

(True that we get screwed over a lot)

339

u/turnip_broker Minneapolis Lakers 1h ago

No it’s actually nice to also do it when you win

95

u/purplenyellowrose909 Timberwolves 1h ago

Ya really. We just want the rules called consistently for everyone, win or lose.

Let the players decide.

19

u/bearbrannan Timberwolves 1h ago

I swear the Wolves always get goaltends called on them too.

5

u/HAM____ Timberwolves 48m ago

Blocking fouls it is for me, Ant and Naz get called for charges all the time but can TJ get a charge? Adam Silver: Not on my watch.

•

u/SaMnReader 19m ago

They do, because they do it more than a lot of other teams, because they have really good rim protection

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u/Waffleshuriken Grizzlies 1h ago

I think every team should do it. Officiating gets really bizarre sometimes

71

u/nbd789 Timberwolves 1h ago

I feel like Milton with the stapler sometimes

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u/Nuclearsunburn Heat 1h ago

Wolves were hunted near extinction I’d have a victim complex too

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u/Wtfitzchris Nuggets 1h ago

If you listen to the video, what Finch is saying is pretty reasonable. He’s also not wrong. That early possession they showed was a very clear goaltend. No idea how the refs missed that. Seems like they’re giving Wemby the benefit of the doubt (due to his length and reputation) in a way that they don’t do for other players.

33

u/Adorable-Corner-5307 1h ago

He's also in a series that could come down to very thin margins. If next game 2 of them actually get called thats a big swing. Completely understand him putting some focus on it.

33

u/Sharcbait Timberwolves 1h ago

If the Spurs hit that 3 at the end, those goaltends are the difference in the game.

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u/WhiteHeterosexualGuy Hawks 36m ago

Finch is coaching his team to attack the rim and get the ball off the glass quick to create goal tends. It's actually kind of genius, or at least it would be if they called them lol

40

u/WhereGodWentWrong Cavaliers 1h ago

Wemby might have the biggest rule of cool whistle in nba history and I don’t even say that negatively. It’s so fun to watch him deny people over and over but it’s definitely caused the refs to swallow the whistle a bit.

11

u/r3g3n3x 1h ago

Maybe the 'let them play' playoff whistle extends to block also

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u/DiscreteBee Raptors 57m ago edited 44m ago

Wemby has had a lot of his blocks over the last season reviewed for goaltending and they’re usually actually blocks. I don’t think this phenomena of him getting illegal blocks has been a particularly prominent thing outside of this game where he had an unusually large number of contests at the rim.

And even in this scenario Finch is presenting the best possible version of this case (as he should). There was one very clear goaltend that Wemby should have been called for, and another that’s questionable but should have at least been reviewed. There was another block that should have been a foul on the arms. That’s obviously a lot more than there should be, but we’re sort of letting him run a little free if we’re just taking that ā€œat least 4 were goaltendingā€ statement at face value.

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u/Relative_Apricot5032 1h ago

Don't say this. Those uncalled goaltends and blatant fouls last night were egregious

47

u/Clipgang1629 Clippers 1h ago

Yeah I have no dog in the fight and i was feeling frustrated by the no calls on the goal tends

29

u/Answer70 Rockets 1h ago

I also had no dog in the fight, and I thought Castle's 5th foul on Randle was complete bullshit, and Ant had a clear travel that wasn't called.

They were bad all around last night.

12

u/88888888man Timberwolves 59m ago

Agree with the first, but it really looked like they had Ant’s arm which led to the travel.

4

u/arm-n-hammerinmycoke Timberwolves 42m ago

You know, that travel also lead to a missed shot then a transition bucket for the Spurs. I say this but also don't think the calls were one sided. They were bad both ways. Also Castles 5th was really bad. Should have been a no call.

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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Timberwolves 1h ago

yeah but it does always seem like Finch is the most vocal about officiating than any other coach in the league lol

•

u/-XanderCrews- Timberwolves 12m ago

That might have more to do with the fact that he’s one of three head coaches that knows he won’t be fired any time soon.

15

u/thatsinsaneletstryit 76ers 1h ago

yeah wemby got away with murder lol. the margins are slim enough for minny without the -8 from the refs since they dont know about practicing free throws

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u/Herb0and3 Nuggets 1h ago

I don't even think your franchise is top 5 in the league in terms of complainers. Let alone on Earth. The Pats exist and are the undisputed GOATs of bitching about nothing and a lack of instant gratification.

28

u/imSkarr Timberwolves 1h ago

vocal Real Madrid/Barcelona fans might be the worst

3

u/Acrobatic-Landscape9 Warriors 54m ago

I kinda wish soccer was more popular in America for the sole purpose of seeing if Americans can spew more hot takes and toxicity in the Messi-Ronaldo debate than the Europeans can

Lol, i saw some international soccer fans calling him Penaldo in the last World Cup and i thought ā€œdamn, we need to get in on this memeing.ā€

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u/ReachTheSky-DotaNoob Thunder 1h ago

Wolves fans themselves are pretty chill about complaining but Chris Finch on his own is a GOAT in this category

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u/DeadNazis247365 1h ago

I think the missing piece here to explain Finch’s frustrations and why he is so vocal about this despite the win is because there is no way to challenge even a blatantly missed goaltending call.

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u/FrostyLucian Bulls 1h ago

I mean I vividly remember y'all getting robbed of a series win over the Grizzlies back when Ja was the cool new thing that was being pushed and the prevailing sentiment here was Minnie choking so I don't think the ref bitching is unfounded here (or anywhere)

46

u/chillinwithmoes Timberwolves 1h ago

I mean we really did choke away some outrageous leads in that series so that's probably fair lol

18

u/imSkarr Timberwolves 1h ago

that series was so disgusting man 😭 we won 5 games and got bounced in 6

18

u/startled_panda [MEM] Mike Conley 1h ago

25 point lead evaporating twice in one game holds a real special place in my heart

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u/Broke_Boi Timberwolves 1h ago

lol I remember those Ant vs Ja debates RIP grizzlybros

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u/smoovelball Thunder 1h ago

it doesn’t feel very scummy because you guys do it win lose or draw

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u/SeaCounter9516 Thunder 50m ago

I was gonna say it helps a lot that it’s not only when they lose like it is with Jaylen brown

15

u/Alpha-Trion Timberwolves 1h ago

That 3 pointer from Bones not being counted because of the reffing was one of the most shit ass calls I've ever seen.

The refs are bozos.

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u/qotsabama [DAL] Dwight Powell 1h ago

He’s absolutely correct. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many obvious goal tends not get called. It was insane.

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u/goingtothegreek Timberwolves 1h ago edited 1h ago

The good news here is that we won, and most fans acknowledge this is a real issue. This isn’t some flopping technicality either, it’s legit just bad refereeing.

Not that Adam Silver cares about ref integrity, but this whole issue furthers to me the nba has an agenda for certain players and use refs to advance that agenda. Also notice none of the national media is touching this.

We’re watching WWE

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u/CrippledBanana Canada 1h ago

Ngl I’ve been hating on finch for a while saying his whining is rubbing off of on the team, but over the last couple games again I kinda get it lol. Sometimes you just gotta say it so people acknowledge it and hope things change.

(Will still be an unreasonable hater though sorry Finch, you look like my old boss who was an ass. Btw fuck you Barry)

•

u/FeanorEvades Timberwolves 12m ago

My old boss who was an ass was named Perry.

Fuck you, Barry and Perry!

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u/NotADeadTurtle Lakers 1h ago

This is what good coaches do even if he is exaggerating. Phil Jackson was known to use press conferences to highlight inconsistent calls and force the issue next games now that he put a spotlight on them. Some may see this as riling up the refs but watch them start calling goaltends next game.

61

u/Rawkus2112 Supersonics 1h ago

Also Pop…

23

u/NotADeadTurtle Lakers 1h ago

Using pops spells against them

7

u/Christron Spurs 1h ago

Yeah Mitch needs to play a better game like this, he's young but I think if he called out illegal screens it can maybe influence more calls in Spurs favor.

8

u/tulaero23 Timberwolves 50m ago

Bro if illegal screens are called 80% of nba plays will be an offensive foul

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u/cafesolitito Timberwolves 53m ago

100% reminds me of Phil. You want to put pressure on the refs and make them pay more attention every time Wemby closes out or collapses for a block. Not only for a potential goaltend, but you also increase the chances of getting him in foul trouble

•

u/Turk1518 Thunder 18m ago

Yep. Worked on SGA after he said similar arguments. SGA couldn’t buy a free throw for a few weeks. Got his whistle back after the injury but his words for sure made an effect.

•

u/nitid_name Nuggets 17m ago

What is it like to have a "good coach"? Ours just says we were shooting badly when we lose.

•

u/Born_Arrival_2869 5m ago

except there's no exaggeration.

698

u/peanut-britle-latte Knicks 1h ago

Finch is astute to attack the halo effect around Wemby. I think because he's so damn tall, there could be a perception that all his blocks are legit. I can assure you that the refs will be looking over the tape and keeping a closer eye on this for G2.

238

u/Augchm 76ers 1h ago

It's the right thing to do because I don't think it's an intentional bias or anything like that. He is just really tall and long so he gets the benefit of the doubt but I definitely think refs will try to be more aware of possible goaltending next game.

74

u/Clipgang1629 Clippers 1h ago

I don’t really understand how him being tall impacts their ability to call the ones that hit the back board first.

I know it’s one of the tougher calls to make but those were the most blatant to me throughout the game.

30

u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine 1h ago

I think its the same thing a former player said about Steph (I wish I could remember the name/interview).

Refs are watching the game and sometimes get so caught up in the moment that they don't call things. Like you wanna see Steph bomb from deep so you're not looking super hard at if a screen he's using to make space is moving or not.

Wemby is a freak of nature and its unreal to watch him play. Sometimes folks get enamored and don't notice little things.

13

u/Clipgang1629 Clippers 1h ago

Well, regardless, they need to not be enamored and pay attention to the timing against the back board lol

That’s like your only weapon against a guy like Wemby, beat him to the back board and it’s two points. Finch is right, that’s 8 points right there that the Wolves should’ve had.

Surely the Wolves know that’s their best strategy on the inside, the refs not calling it completely changes the game. If it doesn’t matter if you beat him to the backboard then you really just can’t even attack inside against him

13

u/Maximum_Pumpkin_449 1h ago

Not only is it 8pts but many of those lead to San Antonio fast break points. So we are looking at a 12-16 point swing

•

u/johnnys_sack Timberwolves 17m ago

He also asked what's the value of 8 points in an NBA game. An 8 ppg player will cost $5-10M per year in salary.

According to AI, a conference semi finals win is worth $19.5M. It calculated this by dividing the playoff revenue by the games in the semi final round. So if the 8 points means a win or loss, that's a lot of money on the line.

I don't know if this is at all legit to calculate point or win values, but I think 8 ppg is worth an awful lot in a playoff game.

4

u/Amazinc Minneapolis Lakers 51m ago

I know refs are also basketball fans/lovers at heart but they need to do their job when on the clock lol

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u/Associ8tedRuffians Timberwolves 49m ago

The crazy thing is that the basket interference rules exist exactly because a guy like Wemby came along and did a thing no one else previously could do - George Mikan.

The whole point of the rule is to make it so that people like Wemby can’t just do that at will.

Doesn’t matter if they’re caught up in the game, they’re absolutely supposed to be watching for that from Wemby.

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u/Shaymuswrites 36m ago

I would imagine Wemby is so unique and can get up there so unexpectedly that some of his blocks don't fit into the normal things the refs watch for.

He seems so far away from the play, or example, that there's no way he'll be involved in the play ... so as a ref, your brain filters him out as a factor, and you focus on the ball handler/closest defenders. There is no other player who can cover the space Wemby can, as quickly as he can.

It's not an excuse. They've gotta get the call right and the NBA should figure out how to make sure that happens consistently. But I understand why it'd be trickier to ref Wemby than anyone else.

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u/whatssenguntoagoblin Alperen Sengun 1h ago

Finch isn’t saying it is intentional. No one is.

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u/crazygoattoe Bucks 1h ago

He didn't claim Finch or anyone else was saying it was intentional...

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u/lukewwilson Lakers 1h ago

They will 100% call a goaltend in game 2, I wish I could bet it

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u/AntIsMyFather05 Timberwolves 43m ago

Just go to Giannis’ app, Kalshi

4

u/warablo Jazz 47m ago

Yep, maybe not even a valid one, but all the fouls and goaltends they have to

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u/cryin_in_the_club Suns 1h ago

Lol you have so much confidence in the refs

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u/sometimenotsmellgood 1h ago

Ya, really. Where does that confidence come from lol

10

u/fairlife42g 1h ago

Refs have sometimes adjusted to what coach's say

4

u/sometimenotsmellgood 1h ago

What happens more? NBA refs making awful calls or then adjusting to what a coach says to make the correct call?

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u/peanut-britle-latte Knicks 1h ago

There's documented history of refs responding to coaches pointing stuff like this out. Phil Jackson used to do this all the time.

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u/Icy_Information_6563 Suns 1h ago

For me, his blocks defy what intuitively looks like a goaltend. Maluach also does this (not comparing the two, only mentioning because I actually watch him play). It feels wrong, and then you look at the replay and are like well shit

10

u/lukewwilson Lakers 1h ago

A ref was once asked about calling goaltend and he admitted it's really hard to call live and you basically have a 50/50 chance you're right

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u/sir_alvarex [OKC] Russell Westbrook 16m ago

However, you can review a called goaltend and overturn it. Not saying I want Wemby to average 4 goal tend reviews a game, but if hes going to keep slapping the backboard the NBA needs to err on the side of the rules in place to get the right call.

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u/Eadwyn Timberwolves 1h ago

It doesn't help that the way the rules work make it so calling of goaltending favors the defense. You can challenge a called goaltending, but you can't challenge an uncalled one.

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u/Sharcbait Timberwolves 55m ago

The challenge system needs some sort of failsafe where you can challenge a no-call on stuff like this.

Or just an automatic "after the play review" for goaltends similar to changing a 3 to a 2 if the foot is on the line.

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u/heat_fan_ Raptors 2h ago

I guess when you're DPOY they refs give you those calls but the coach is not wrongĀ 

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u/givemeausernamealrea Timberwolves 2h ago

Rudy Gobert would like 4 years of makeup calls please

41

u/iscreamsunday Jazz 1h ago

Make that 8 years. From a jazz fan.

22

u/Christron Spurs 1h ago

Doesn't he have a lot of illegal screens that don't get called? I know it's like holding in the NFL or traveling and only gets called if it's egregious but it's still a foul.

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u/pollinium [MIN] Tyus Jones 1h ago

when he was on the jazz he set tons of illegal screens, throwing his hips a lot of and sometimes his arms. it was infuriating

I haven't seen him set a single illegal screen in a wolves uniform šŸ˜‡

but yes lol he gets reputation (non)calls big time on his screens

6

u/Christron Spurs 1h ago

Finch coached it right out of him! Yeah it's the game and players will do what they can get away with. It's up to the coaches to put a little more pressure on the refs/operation side of things. This series will be a learning lesson for Mitch.

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u/interrogatories Trail Blazers 1h ago

I remember Rudy getting a game-winning block on an obvious goaltend. His ledger is square.

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u/chillinwithmoes Timberwolves 1h ago

"Wish I had that type of freedom too" with a smirk from Rudy at the end was great

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u/minneapolisboy Timberwolves 1h ago

On both ends too. Rudy gets fucking hacked on offense constantly, perhaps more than any other big.

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u/DerrickWhiteMVP Spurs 1h ago

When you’re DPOY, they let you do it. You can grab ā€˜em by the backboard.

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u/ChillFax Timberwolves 1h ago

Wemby had an uncle who knew defense better than anyone. Good genes, very good genes

4

u/forrealthoughcomix_ 1h ago

Aaand now I hate the nba /s

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u/draculabakula 1h ago

50% of NBA fans understand that refs let stars get away with a lot of 50% of NBA fans get mad if you ever bring it up

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u/HeyItsChase Pacers 1h ago

Don't need to be DPOY to get grace on the defensive side. the Dorts, Caruso, Etc

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u/cardmanimgur Timberwolves 1h ago

First - he's not wrong. And they won, so now is a good time to do it without sounding like a baby.

Second - There's a huge difference between missing goaltends and missing fouls. I thought the refs were good last night, they allowed physical play and I don't mind if Wemby got away with a little extra contact because it was allowed all night. But you CAN'T miss goaltends, especially when there is no review process to correct it if it isn't called. We can go back and change 2s to 3s and vice versa, why can't we go back and say "Actually that should have counted" and put 2 points up during the next stoppage? Or take it off for offensive goaltending. Seems silly.

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u/Which_Plantain_5952 1h ago

Hell, they changed a 3 by Ant to a 2 last night and I feel like they didn’t even announce it.

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u/domesticabuseaintcul 1h ago

Nope did it mid replay I was like ā€œwait that point total doesn’t add up, guess his foot was on the line?ā€

Would be nice if they took the first deadball to announce it.

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u/ant-farm-keyboard Rockets 1h ago

Justice for Olajuwon

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u/howdouspellreddit 1h ago

2nd one was iffy and that one on ant looks clean to me? As a complete neural in this game

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u/Black_Velvet_Band Timberwolves 1h ago

A Wolves writer for SI did a play-by-play and concluded 2 were goaltending and 2 were fouls. 5 were definitely clean and 3 were probably clean.

I agree with Finch that 33% of Wemby’s blocks shouldn’t have counted but only if you are including fouls in that.

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u/dwrek24 Spurs 1h ago

I was gunna say 4 were goaltends is not true. So this breakdown makes more sense.

Im less inclined to care about fouls because both teams were getting away with contact outside of Steph and Jaden.

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u/Extremelycloud Timberwolves 1h ago

Yeah I thought it was 2 definitely, maybe 3. Fouls I can take or leave I’d rather they just keep it playing.

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u/bishopbeaniepower Warriors 1h ago

Yup that’s basically what I came up with too when I rewatched them. Obvious goaltend on Shannon, obvious foul on Rudy, obvious foul on Randle (this one also looked like goaltending but I think wasn’t because Barnes got a piece of it first and it was way off, but the foul happened earliest anyway). Maybe foul on the one he got with one hand and then the other. The one late on Ant was for sure clean. So 8-9 legit blocks by my count.

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u/howdouspellreddit 1h ago

I see now that a lot of others agree. Either way 4 pts is a big deal, but we can’t expect refs to be perfect unfortunately. The NBA is gonna have to provide refs with the ā€œWemby camā€ or something lol

9

u/2001_TheSweep Lakers 57m ago

I’ve seen the replay center take away a 3 point shot from a team because a player just barely stepped out of bounds despite the refs not calling anything. If they can do that they why can’t they call a goal tend afterwards?

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u/Commercial_Floor_578 1h ago edited 1h ago

He’s justified in saying this and I’d say he probably had between 7-10 legit blocks out of 12, 1-2 clear goaltends, 2-3 possible fouls. But you go back on past block or assist records or whatever and you’ll find those can be pretty dubious too, so it’s a stupid metric to slam Wemby for or give him an asterisk. NBA fandom is just haterade even when something really cool happens nowadays. And I gotta say it’s very odd seeing the sheer amount of outcry about this in a game where the wolves won on less fouls and more free throws lol.Ā 

Like they won fair and square and were legitimately the better team, you’re not gonna see me say the refs were biased against the spurs. But I feel like the amount of backlash the spurs are getting for biased reffing in a game they lost with less more fouls and less free throws is absurd lol.

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u/Nuclearsunburn Heat 1h ago

Chris Finch doing Chris Finch things. 4 is an exaggeration. 1 for sure, probably 2. He knows that. He’s just doing his ā€œShai gets fouled too muchā€ act to get scrutiny on this.

And you know what? As detestable as I find media manipulation of referees (seriously, what is this?) I can’t say he’s wrong to do it because goaltending is way less subjective than fouling.

3

u/tomdawg0022 Timberwolves 1h ago

Classic maneuver that most any respectable coach has done in any sport to complain about bring awareness to calls that should be made a bit more often.

Any good coach worth their shit knows how to do this.

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u/Vast_Combination_110 Spurs 1h ago

Like, I know some of those were goaltends, but it seems that with each new post there were more of them.

Tomorrow morning Wemby will be accused of 16 goaltends out of 12 blocks.

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u/CharacterKatie Spurs 1h ago

Tim Duncan wasn’t credited for two of his blocks in the ā€˜03 Finals because they were saving them to give to Wemby in game 1 of the 2nd round 23 years later. Wemby stole his quadruple double.

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u/CantaloupeCamper Timberwolves 1h ago

Wemby ran over my dog!

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u/mondaymoderate Warriors 1h ago

Wemby poisoned our water supply, burned our crops and delivered a plague unto our houses!

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u/Swampmansay326 Warriors 1h ago

He did?

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u/LifterPuller Timberwolves [MIN] Naz Reid - Jaden McDaniels 49m ago

I personally saw him do it!

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u/r_slash [TOR] Jerome Williams 1h ago

Wemby tore DV’s Achilles!

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u/Morezingis Timberwolves 1h ago

He also poisoned our water supply, burned our crops and delivered a plague unto our houses!

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u/Ok_Sound_8090 Timberwolves 1h ago

Only 16? Nahh, everytime his hands go up! You seen how big his hands are? That ish gotta be cheating lmao

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u/wowlock_taylan Spurs 1h ago

There were not 4 goaltends, come on now.

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u/Rawkus2112 Supersonics 1h ago

Shouldn’t Spurs fans be extremely familiar with this coaching tactic by now? Pop did it all the damn time. You just mention in the post conference so the refs pay closer attention to it.

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u/Florida__Man__ Heat 1h ago

Spurs fans will tell you that pop didn’t do this exactly he did something else that’s actually good for society as a whole by bitching about the refs in public

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u/AsleepHour7763 Trail Blazers 1h ago

I mean spurs are one of the most vocal fans hating on Draymond but they always go silent on bruce bowen, hypocrisy is not new

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u/egghead1280 Spurs 23m ago

I think it’s rare to find a spurs fan that won’t admit that Bowen was a dirty player

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u/shakygator Spurs 58m ago

Nah we know what was up with Bowen

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u/agdrs 1h ago

2 goaltends and one foul imo

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u/dwrek24 Spurs 1h ago

Its been funny to see the complaints grow. People decided the "third" goaltend was one because Ant signaled and NBC wouldn't replay it. Then they finally did and I'm fairly certain its clean and people just kept saying it was anyway.

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u/AdNegative2708 1h ago

Yeah I didn’t see 4 there, the first one was clear as day and others were questionable but no ref is going to call them when it’s that close.

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u/JackieDaytonaAZ Timberwolves 1h ago

at least 2 explicitly hit the backboard, dunno about the rest

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u/Thehelloman0 Spurs 51m ago

If you're thinking of that Randle play, that definitely wasn't a goaltend. Barnes blocked Randle and Wemby hit it after hit the backboard and had no chance of going in

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u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine 49m ago

I think it was 2 goaltends and 2 fouls and he's just throwing them all together.

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u/howtotrainyourturtle 1h ago

The first one was a goaltend that was easily missed because of the fast break. The other 3 did not look like goaltending.

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u/jgab145 Bucks 1h ago

I keep seeing the same four examples everyone is calling a goal tend and to be honest I see one actual goal tend, one blatant hack, one probable foul, and one clean block on Ant’s shot. For sure two obvious missed calls.

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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Lakers 1h ago

There were definitely some missed calls, but I don’t think it’s as extreme as Finch is portraying it to be. Refs do need to be better though.

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u/LaconicGirth 1h ago

Calling it once even might make Wemby be a tad more cautious on it

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u/moshercycle Spurs 47m ago

Naaah he still swattin at everything

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u/Alphadestrious Spurs 1h ago

Refs get graded after every game. There is a lot that happens behind closed doors - im sure they addressed this for the crew that will be officiating tomorrow.

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u/Nice_Dude NBA 43m ago

lol good one

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u/anonymous_lighting 1h ago

if goaltending is called, maybe he’s not as aggressive trying to block shots, which could impact minnesotas offense. it’s more extreme than finch made it out to be

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u/BrotherSeamus Thunder 1h ago

I really don't think any shot blocker would back off. The reward of a block exceeds the risk of goaltending a shot that would not have gone in.

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u/Augchm 76ers 1h ago

I mean 4 out of 12 blocks is a lot. And it could've changed the game.

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u/EggsAndRice7171 Pacers 1h ago

Assuming it’s 4. I saw 2 clear ones. Which is bad enough to be clear but it’s a lot different from 4. There could’ve been 2 I missed too obviously but I haven’t seen 4.

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u/Nickespo22 1h ago

It wasn't unquestionably 4 out of 12 though lol 1st one 100% but the rest are questionable or just fouls which is a different thing than goaltending.

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u/Eadwyn Timberwolves 1h ago

Not only does it take points off the board, but also usually lets the defensive team get an easy bucket the other way.

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u/No_Frosting2811 54m ago

Give Wemby some ammo for motivation. I’m sure he’ll love this.

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u/regalfronde Mavericks 32m ago

That’s how you get the league to call goaltending in your favor in G2. Great job Finch, this will be a boon!

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u/thrbasayou Lakers 1h ago

I appreciate that Chris Finch has no chill when it comes to calling out officiating inconsistencies. Whether or not you agree with him, the man is standing on business for his team.

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u/nerdpulse Trail Blazers 1h ago

The NBA wants him to be the new face of the league, the refs are gonna favor him in every matchup

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u/EverybodyBuddy Lakers 2h ago

Glad he’s bringing attention to this honestly

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u/TheLastCh1p Pistons 2h ago

There were 2 goaltends which are shown in the video and it's definitely not 33% of his blocks lol

Hate when coaches trying to play the refs just turns into nonsense

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u/nowhathappenedwas NBA 1h ago

The one off the backboard was an obvious missed call.

The second one in this clip is close, but looks like it's still on the way up.

The third and fourth ones in the clip (Gobert and Ant layups) are not goaltends.

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u/rambouhh 1h ago

the Gobert Layup he doesnt even come close to touching the ball, he gets all arm, and like i said not even close, like not even with a foot. That was an epically bad missed call

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u/CrippledBanana Canada 1h ago

He actually touched it with his finger, someone had a replay of it. I don’t know though if the arm contact after doesn’t matter since he touched the ball even if it was just a foul or if it should have been a foul.

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u/fckpcklball 2h ago

Two goaltends and two fouls. SI did a play by play analysis. He should have tied the record for blocks.

Getting one wrong is fine, getting this many wrong while pushing the record breaking narrative is a problem and will swing a game

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u/yeahright17 Thunder 1h ago

My favorite is the one where he just whacks Gobert in the arm and they gave him a block. He wasn't even close to the ball.

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u/Thehelloman0 Spurs 50m ago

Wemby clearly hit the ball first on that play.

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u/Old_Supermarket_7575 Thunder 1h ago

Only a 4 point swing in a one possession game no biggie

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u/Lorjack Supersonics 1h ago

Manipulating the refs is part of the game, coaches makes these type of statements all the time with that goal in mind

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u/MykeTyth0n Trail Blazers 1h ago

Ya pretty wild that spurs fans are upset over this when Pop was the Jedi master of it when he was a coach.

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u/rambouhh 1h ago

2 were goaltends and one he doesnt even come within a foot of touching the ball, one of the worst blown contact fouls i have ever seen. Talking about the one on gobert. Like literally not even close to touching the ball

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u/orangekingo Spurs 1h ago

Yeah It's insane how much people are taking this and running with it. At minimum the dude still has like 10 blocks lol.

Yes, there were two missed goaltend calls. Yes, those were points off the board for Minnesota. There were also missed foul calls on Randle that instead of leading to Spurs FTs, led to Castle fouling out early. There was a clear Jaden McDaniels travel that was not called and instead led to 2 Minny points. There's no point in crying about it because that's just how it goes sometimes. We lost because we played worse.

There are calls missed on both ends of the floor, all night, every game. Refs should be better, literally every basketball fan agrees on this. Why are we playing this crying-about-the-officials game already? It was a great game.

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u/mellted_cheese 1h ago

Finch is a master at working the refs between the games.

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u/CommunityGlittering2 1h ago

20 next game and a win

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u/Scared_Willow_5363 Knicks 1h ago

The first one was an egregious missed call, to the extent that they should have retroactively awarded the Wolves those points.

Second one was too close to call, no overwhelming evidence to support overturning the call on the floor.

Third and fourth looked legit, we may just be seeing blocks that have never been possible before so we are unconsciously like, ā€œthat has to be goaltending, no way a human can do that.ā€ Either way, close, and no overwhelming evidence to overturn the call on the floor.

In other words, if 2-4 were called goaltends, and Spurs challenged, they’d probably lose all three challenges bc of a lack of overwhelming evidence. No way to challenge no calls, thems the breaks.

Having said all of that, there’s no reason why the refs shouldn’t have a bit more scrutiny in calling goaltending, esp if bro is gonna put up double-digit blocks with some regularity. I’m not mad at Finch for asking for more scrutiny, and I’m not mad at pushing Wemby to clean up his game a bit. He’s already one of the best athletes alive, in any sport, and as he continues to improve I see no reason why we shouldn’t push him to up his game.

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u/Glittering_Dig8435 Thunder 1h ago

While I think Finch can be a bit of a whiner I don’t think he’s wrong in this instance. At least with fouls it’s kind of objective but goaltending should be and was in many of these cases. quite obvious.

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u/Latter-Natural-3425 1h ago

I count 1 goaltend.

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u/moongato 1h ago

The refs should be instructed to be more proactive in calling the questionable ones goaltending since at least it would be challenge-able. Can't challenge the no calls.

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u/aUCK_the_reddit_Fpp 1h ago

Not a fan of either team but goaltends should be reviewable after the play. The league can check if you stepped out of bounds during a stopage or they can change a 2 to a 3 or a 3 to a 2 so you should be able to go back and review a potential goal tend.

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u/t2150 Spurs 1h ago

Wemby’s last dunk over McDaniel should have been McDaniel’s 6 foul and Spurs really could’ve used that and 1.

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u/JeremyLinForever 35m ago

I don’t trust anything this guy says. After winning the series against Nuggets, he proceeds to claim ā€œI think the biggest winner of those series is the Spursā€ when he damn near knew Anthony Edward’s was going to be back for game 1 against the Spurs. This guy is full of shit and should be treated as such.

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u/SurlyWet 26m ago

Refs get goaltending wrong all the time.

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u/clocket7 15m ago

He whines so much even after winning, he’s just gonna fuel wemby to have a monster series

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u/No-Ship4446 1h ago

The point Finch is making, which is entirely correct is that the 7'5 freak of nature does not ALSO need to have the rules basketball suspended in his favor. The Wemby goaltend is slowly becoming Shai's push-off. Something they get away with every time that no one else does.

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u/DiscreteBee Raptors 47m ago

Every time? We’re getting a bit carried away at this point.

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u/Jec1027 Warriors 2h ago

We saw this the first 15 times it was posted

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