Did Chris Finch's ejection save the NBA from the SGA whistle?

Free-throw attempts appear to be on the downswing league-wide, with Oklahoma City and SGA being hit the hardest.

Dec 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch yells at referee John Butler about a call for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter at Target Center. Finch was ejected. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

When Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was ejected minutes into the team's Dec. 19 game against the Thunder, the obvious thought was that it was an effort to bring attention to the perceived foul imbalance that comes with playing the Thunder. In that game, it certainly worked, with the Timberwolves pulling off the win and attempting 47 free throws to OKC's 30. The Thunder, who had lost only twice all season before that game, are 5-4 in the nine games since.

Much to the joy of social media basketball fans, in the 18 days since Finch stormed the court and berated officials, no team has been hit harder by a seemingly league-wide swallowing of the whistle than Oklahoma City.

Despite widespread, and at times deserved, criticism for the way the Thunder are officiated, Oklahoma City does not lead the league in free-throw attempts. In fact, they're not even in the top 10. With most teams having played between 34 and 38 games this season, the Thunder sit 18th in the league in free-throw attempts per game. Minnesota ranks sixth in that category.

The top-five teams in total free-throw attempts are the Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Timberwolves, and Utah Jazz. Below is a table showing those teams, plus OKC, and the number of free throws and free throws per game before Finch's ejection.

Teams	Games	Total FTA	FTA/game
Magic	27	780	28.89
Pistons	27	767	28.41
Trail Blazers	27	767	28.41
Jazz	26	733	28.19
Timberwolves	28	767	27.39
Thunder	28	691	24.68

Now, take a look at how those numbers compare to the 18 days post-Finch eruption.

Teams	Games played	Total FTA	FTA/game	Difference/game
Magic	9	252	28	-0.89
Pistons	9	232	25.78	-2.63
Trail Blazers	10	247	24.7	-3.71
Jazz	9	226	25.11	-3.08
Timberwolves	8	199	24.88	-2.51
Thunder	9	185	20.56	-4.12

The drop-off in free-throw attempts is pretty stark, with the top five seeing around two to three fewer per game. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has attempted around four fewer free throws per game.

Directly or indirectly, the timing of the changes is hard to ignore.

Impact on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is more obvious

While the impact is pretty clear on overall team numbers, they become even clearer when you narrow it down to the player level. Thunder star and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the biggest focal point of online disgust about overactive whistles and flopping, rightfully so in a lot of cases. Last season, SGA only trailed Giannis Antetokounmpo in free throws per game. This season, he ranks third behind Luka Dončić and Deni Avdija.

Since Finch's on-court explosion, no player in the top five has been impacted more than SGA. Here are the numbers leading up to December 19.

Players	Games	Total FTA	FTA/game
Deni Avdija (POR)	27	262	9.70
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	27	256	9.48
Luka Dončić (LAL)	20	249	12.45
Devin Booker (PHO)	24	197	8.21
James Harden (LAC)	25	208	8.32

Now, look at those numbers since December 19:

Player	Games	Total FTA	FTA/game	Difference/game
Deni Avdija (POR)	10	101	10.11	+0.41
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	9	64	7.11	-2.37
Luka Dončić (LAL)	6	66	12.2	-0.25
Devin Booker (PHO)	9	80	8.5	+0.29
James Harden (LAC)	7	66	10	+1.68

While Harden has increased his attempts and everybody else has mostly stayed within the same range, SGA has attempted an eye-opening 2.37 fewer free throws per game than he was before Finch's ejection.

Shall we credit Finch with saving the league from SGA's flopping madness? We don't know about you, but we're going to connect the dots and applaud Finchy for a job well done.

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