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Foul calls on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander result in 'a lot of frustration' for Wolves
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards in the fourth quarter during Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2025. Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images

Foul calls on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander result in 'a lot of frustration' for Wolves

Originally posted on Minnesota Timberwolves on SI
By Nolan O'Hara  |  Last updated May 21, 2025 1:10 AM ET

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch knew what to expect coming into the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the increased physicality that's been allowed in the NBA playoffs, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was still drawing fouls at the same rate — and a quite high one — he was during the regular season.

But even knowing what to expect, the Wolves weren't able to keep Gilgeous-Alexander off the free-throw line. He made 11 of 14 from the charity stripe on his way to a game-high 31 points in the Thunder's 114-88 Game 1 victory Tuesday night.

"There was a lot of frustration out there," Finch said to reporters about the foul calls. "But we got to — we talked about that before the series started, and we have to be able to kind of put that to the side and get on with the next-play mentality."

Jaden McDaniels, the primary defender on Gilgeous-Alexander, fouled out in the fourth quarter, and some of the whistles on him in particular weren't exactly egregious. Fans and pundits alike took to social media to complain about a significant chunk of them, not exactly something new as Gilgeous-Alexander was dubbed the "free-throw merchant" by Wolves fans at Target Center earlier this year. Frustrating as some calls are, the Wolves have a tendency to let frustrations snowball.

For example, after a foul call in the first quarter, Anthony Edwards threw the basketball at Gilgeous-Alexander, resulting in a technical foul and an extra free throw. Then later in the game, Finch felt the frustrations defensively carried over to the offensive end, where shots weren't falling and ball movement stalled. It ultimately wasn't too pretty in the second half.

Now for all the conspiracy theorists out there: The foul calls hardly lost the Wolves the game. And overall, the game was officiated completely balanced — each team got whistled for a whopping 22 fouls apiece. The loose whistle went all the way around, and though Edwards attempted half as many free throws as SGA, he also attempted half as many shots.

That of course won't change the frustrations felt by Wolves fans, and NBA fans at large, seeing Gilgeous-Alexander get to the line time and time again, sometimes off of weak contact. Notable critics include FS1's Nick Wright, who said he feels it makes the Thunder "impossible to root for," and the Ringer's Bill Simmons, who said the touch foul calls are "really awful."

Regardless, like Finch said, the Wolves will have to get better at getting to the next play. Tuesday was only Game 1.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Timberwolves and was syndicated with permission.

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