Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch Accuses Wembanyama of Illegal Goaltending in Game 1

Chris Finch claims Wembanyama had four illegal blocks in Spurs vs Timberwolves playoff opener

Wembanyama, 22, set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks and is a finalist for MVP while already winning Defensive Player of the Year unanimously.

Despite the Timberwolves’ 104-102 win, San Antonio remains the series favorite after finishing 13 wins and five places ahead of Minnesota in the regular season...

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch claimed Tuesday that San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama committed several illegal goaltending violations during the teams’ opening NBA playoff matchup.

The 7-foot-4 French standout delivered a record-setting defensive showing in the Spurs’ Game 1 Western Conference semifinal loss to Minnesota, tallying 12 blocks - the most in a single postseason game in league history.

Finch said after the game that he believes “at least four” of Wembanyama’s blocks should have been called as fouls by the officials.

Finch noted his team hasn’t complained to the league, saying “it’s kind of a bit of a waste of time because it doesn’t really change the outcomes...”

“Obviously, he had a historic night, but when we looked at them, at least four of them were goaltending, maybe even a fifth,” said Finch.

“To me, it's a little alarming that none of them were called. Here's a generational shot blocker who's seven-foot-six, who goes after everything, and there's no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends?”

Players are allowed to block shots in most cases, but it becomes a goaltending violation if they touch the ball while it’s on a downward path and either directly above the rim or after it has already hit the backboard.

“I mean, the third possession of the game was a goaltend, and it was a clean, obvious one,” said Finch.

“So let's just say there were four. That's eight points. You know the value of eight points in an NBA game? It is massive.”

WEMBY (22y, 120d): Youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double including blocks in a postseason game since '73–74 👀

👽 11 PTS
👽 15 REB (postseason career-high)
👽 12 BLK (NBA postseason record)

Also becomes the first player in NBA history to record 10+ PTS, 15+ REB,… pic.twitter.com/uW02m4qfIK

— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2026

Minnesota edged out a 104-102 victory, though San Antonio is still favored to take the series. The Spurs finished the regular season five spots ahead of the Timberwolves and recorded 13 more wins.

At 22, Wembanyama is already a finalist for this year’s NBA MVP award and was unanimously voted Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite his age, Wemby is on track to be one of the league’s defining superstars for the foreseeable future.

When asked about Victor Wembanyama's 12 blocks in Game 1, Chris Finch said that at least 4 of the 12 were goaltends, and that it was "alarming" that Wembanyama wasn't called for a single goaltend.

"When we looked at em, at least four of them were goaltending... To me, it's a… pic.twitter.com/sW0xBTYpUB

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 5, 2026

Finch said Minnesota hadn’t filed an official complaint with the league, noting “it’s kind of a bit of a waste of time because it doesn’t really change the outcomes.”

“Again, it's just alarming that not a single one of them was called... I think they're pretty obvious when you look at them,” he added.