Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were selected as All-Stars to represent the Western Conference. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have not two, but three individuals representing the franchise in Indiana. After the Timberwolves’ win over the Houston Rockets, the NBA announced that Chris Finch would coach the Western Conference team. During the postgame interview, Anthony Edwards was asked if his head coach would make the All-Star Game a defense-heavy game.
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and staff will coach the WEST during the 2024 #NBAAllStar Game (Sunday, 2/18 on TNT). pic.twitter.com/5pnJ2ZrkpN
— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2024
The combo guard hilariously revealed the coaching plan of Chris Finch for the prestigious exhibition game on 18th February. Edwards got all the media personnel to laugh when he jokingly stated that he’d demand Finch to bring out any players who attempted a mid-range shot.
“Um, I think we just gonna take the mid-rangers out… When Shai or somebody take a mid-ranger, imma be like, ‘Finchy, we don’t allow those right there’,” Edwards jokingly told Sheldon Wohlman.
I asked Anthony Edwards if the All-Star game will be a defense-first game with Chris Finch as the coach
Ant: “Um, I think we just gonna take the mid-rangers out… When Shai or somebody take a mid-ranger, imma say, ‘Finchy, we don’t allow those right there.’” pic.twitter.com/t3g0CbeVpL
— Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) February 5, 2024
As ironic as it may seem, Ant himself is one of the best mid-range shooters in the league. However, while mid-range shots are valuable, Edwards understands that they might not be as appreciated during the All-Star Game.
Chris Finch is known for being a defense-oriented coach. This season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are leading the league with an impressive 109.1 defensive rating. However, the All-Star Game is known for being an entertaining game of pick-up basketball where the best players in the league leave fans in awe with their offensive abilities. Hence, it’ll be interesting to see what plans will Finch have to make the clash more interesting.
Chris Finch is leading the Timberwolves to the best record in the West
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a subpar performance last campaign. However, this season, the team’s production has been exceptional. The trio of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert have had outstanding outings so far. However, even Chris Finch deserves credit for the team’s success.
The Wolves have an impressive 35-15 record, tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the #1 spot in the Western Conference. Hence, Finch’s first-ever selection to coach the All-Star Team seems justified.
Further, Ant also highlighted this feat as the “greatest thing” for the Wolves this season.
“That probably was the greatest thing of this season. That’s dope for him to get recognized for how great he’s coached this year,” Ant said.
Anthony Edwards on Finch and staff coaching All-Star game: “That probably was the greatest thing of this season. That’s dope for him to get recognized for how great he’s coached this year.”
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) February 5, 2024
Chris Finch will have an interesting mix of players to coach with LeBron James leading the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and others. Goes without saying that winning the Coach of the Month honors for October/November and getting selected for the prestigious event will only boost the 54-year-old’s chances of winning the 2024 Coach of the Year award.
