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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was not pleased with the way Rudy Gobert was officiated in Game 1 of his team's Western Conference semifinals series against the Warriors. He made that very clear when speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, noting that the Wolves sent several clips of uncalled physical play against Gobert to the NBA's league office to review ahead of Game 2.
"On defensive rebounding, they did a lot of fouling, holding, shoving, pushing, and tackling Rudy," Finch said. "That's clear. We sent a bunch of those clips in to the league. In fact, I'm not sure I know another player in the league with Rudy's pedigree that is allowed to be physically beaten on the way he is. We gotta address that, one way or another."
Gobert, who was coming off of a mammoth performance in Minnesota's series-clinching win over the Lakers last week, had 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks on Tuesday night in the 99-88 loss. The Wolves' 7'1" center spent most of the night fighting for positioning on the inside with 6'6" Draymond Green, 6'7" Jimmy Butler, and 6'9" Kevon Looney, among others. As a team, the somewhat undersized Warriors out-rebounded the Wolves 51 to 41, including 18 offensive rebounds on 53 missed shots (34 percent).
Finch went on to say, in essence, that the Wolves will have to up their own levels of physicality if the game isn't going to be officiated differently.
"There was a play last night where (Brandin) Podziemski clearly grabbed (Gobert) and then he sheds Podziemski and then he gets the foul," Finch said. "We'll certainly try to take justice into our own hands, whenever we can. I think that's the nature of a physical sport. But by the same token, my God, you should see some of these clips. They look like pulling guards and linemen (in football) out there just taking shots at Rudy."
Gobert, 32, averaged 10.9 rebounds during the regular season, so Tuesday's performance was right in line with his typical production on the glass. But on a night where the Warriors shot 39 percent from the field, there may have been opportunities for him to record more than seven defensive boards. Finch and his staff clearly felt Golden State got away with quite a bit of illegal contact against Gobert, and it'll be interesting to see if the refs hear his pleas and call things any differently in Game 2 on Thursday.
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New York Yankees Top Prospect Reportedly Drawing Serious Trade Interest
If the New York Yankees are looking to add in the coming days, they may have to part ways with some of the young talent rising through the ranks of their farm system. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Thursday afternoon that catcher Rafael Flores was one Yankees prospect who has been coveted by trade partners. Flores was promoted from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Saturday. Flores hit .287 with 15 home runs, 23 doubles, 48 runs, 56 RBIs, six stolen bases and an .841 OPS across 87 games in Double-A. Through six Triple-A contests, the 24-year-old catcher is batting .208 with one home runs, three runs, three RBIs and a .720 OPS. MLB Pipeline has Flores ranked as the Yankees' No. 8 prospect, making him the only catcher in the organization's top 25. The Yankees already swung a blockbuster deal with the Colorado Rockies on Friday, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon, parting ways with pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz in order to complete the trade. The following day, superstar outfielder Aaron Judge hit the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain. Those two moves could change New York's plans for the coming days, including their willingness to move Flores. The future of second-year first baseman Ben Rice, who has spent roughly one-seventh of his time at catcher this season, could also play a part in determining Flores' availability. The trade deadline is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Brutal setback could be end of the line for former Titans first-round pick
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Dodgers Announce Max Muncy Update After 16 Straight Missed Games
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