There were more than a few talking points coming out of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ 118-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
One of the biggest topics of conversation, however, centered on head coach Chris Finch’s decision to bench Julius Randle in the fourth quarter amid the three-time All-Star’s off night.
After playing 32 minutes in the first three quarters, Randle ended up watching the entire final period from the bench. He ended his forgettable evening with six points on 2-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Finch decided to go with Naz Reid in the final frame, but his bold decision did not pay off, with Minnesota still ending up losing against a determined Oklahoma side. The Wolves shot-caller is now drawing some intense criticism for turning his back on Randle in Game 2.
“I make a lot of that,” Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green said on the NBA on TNT’s broadcast on Friday night. “I don’t like that. Julius is just having a tough night, no question. But for what he’s been in these playoffs for that team, and then him have a tough night and you completely go away from him, I disagree with that.
“I think some coaches do one of two things. You either give confidence or you take confidence away. And I think that’s a way that you can get in the head of one of your best players and make it all go left. I don’t like that coaching decision.”
Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal chimed in with his opinion on the issue at hand, and he, too, did not hold back in ripping Finch’s decision.
“Yeah, I thought he made a big mistake of not mixing up,” O’Neal said. “He wasn’t having a great game. But I also agree with Draymond. A guy like that, for what he’s done, you don’t have him out in the fourth quarter.”
The silver lining here for Finch is that he still has an opportunity to redeem himself in this series. The Wolves may be down 2-0, but they will be playing the next two games at home at Target Center.
However, whether Finch turns to Randle with the hopes of a nice bounceback performance or opts to keep the two-time All-NBA forward in his doghouse remains to be seen.
Leave a Reply