Chris Finch Addresses Heated Late-Game Exchange With Anthony Edwards

Understandably, a heated exchange between the Timberwolves' superstar player and his head coach late on Thursday night raised some eyebrows.

A couple possessions after Chris Finch told Anthony Edwards to pass the ball instead of forcing a shot, Edwards took a difficult contested three anyways and drained it, helping seal a road win over the Clippers. Ant then turned directly to Finch and barked something along the lines of "Don't tell me to pass the ball, this is what the f*** I do."

Anthony Edwards missed a midrange shot and his coach told him to pass the ball. This is what he does the very next possession: pic.twitter.com/IFjmAASEzb
— Jo (@MavsStan41) February 27, 2026

The moment went viral on social media and led plenty of people to speculate about a possible rift between Edwards and Finch. However, those who follow the Wolves closely know that this isn't the first time those two have gotten after each other.

Since it happened, both player and coach have downplayed the significance of the exchange. Finch mostly sidestepped a question about it in his postgame press conference, but he gave a detailed answer on the subject in a Friday afternoon appearance on FS1's The Herd.

"Listen, we're both fiery competitors," Finch told Colin Cowherd. "It's been part of our relationship since Day 1. We have a phenomenally talented player who makes great shots and he's a closer and he's taken major strides in that department and we're lucky to have him. This is not the first game-winning shot that he's made for us this season. But he also has the burden of responsibility of making his teammates better and making the right play, and that's what we're preaching to him all the time.

"He's really emotional. I'm emotional. We say these things to each other and we move on, we don't take it personally. I didn't think the comments after the game were mean-spirited, I thought he was just kind of joking around. We just jab back and forth with each other. These guys are super competitive and they're very prideful. Sometimes you gotta stoke that fire, and sometimes it comes back on you, but that's part of it."

Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Edwards echoed a similar sentiment in his postgame media scrum.

"Me and my coach got the best relationship ever," Ant said with a smile. "He be right most of the time. 98 percent of the time, he be right. He told me to pass the ball tonight and I should have passed it. But I shot it instead, and it went win. The basketball gods was on my side tonight."

As we noted immediately after the game, both Finch and Edwards had a point. Ant is clearly aware that he took a couple ill-advised shots in Thursday's fourth quarter in situations where he could've passed the ball instead. There are times where finding a teammate is the right play to make.

At the same time, Edwards is supremely confident and generally believes that the optimal play is for him to take a shot, even if it's a difficult one. And it's hard to blame him for that mindset, given that he's second in the NBA in total clutch points this season while shooting 56 percent in those situations (a mark that leads all players with at least 45 clutch field goal attempts).

There's a bit of a tug-of-war that goes on between Edwards and Finch, who have been together for six seasons now. But what's important to remember is that they've built a strong, respect-based relationship that allows them to quickly move on after emotions flare up in the heat of the moment.

One note on Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch ... they've been here before more than a few times. This is from the book: pic.twitter.com/0l6broRiTq
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) February 27, 2026