The frustration was evident heading into the series.
It bubbled up even with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading the Oklahoma City Thunder 48-44 at halftime of Game 1.
As hard as it may be, the Timberwolves must ignore Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s foul-baiting and the whistles he gets.
Head coach Chris Finch was one of many to voice his displeasure throughout the season about how Oklahoma City plays compared to the whistle Gilgeous-Alexander gets on the other end.
Here’s what he said in February:
It’s so frustrating to play this team, because they foul a ton, Finch said after facing the Thunder in back-to-back games in February. They really do, they foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). And it’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try to play through it. And we just eventually were able to get downhill and force the issue ourselves, and were rewarded for it.
On Tuesday night, the officials didn’t reward the Wolves. Gilgeous-Alexander repeatedly initiated contact, lunged his body into Minnesota’s defenders, and constantly got the whistle.
Still, the Wolves can’t let it affect their play and mindset.
Minnesota led through 24 minutes, yet you could see the frustration and irritation at how the refs were calling the game. Meanwhile, the Thunder looked cool, calm, and collected despite a four-point deficit at the break.
Anthony Edwards picked up a technical foul early after Gilgeous-Alexander baited a foul call. Edwards tossed the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander, who was lying on the hardwood.
Jaden McDaniels is one of the premier on-ball defenders in the league. However, he constantly waved his hands after calls went against him while defending Gilgeous-Alexander and fouled out after just 24 minutes.
The frustration festered, and the Thunder capitalized by keeping their heads on straight and attacking the paint at will.
Minnesota settled for 51 3-pointers and finished with a conversion clip of just 29%.
That’s not going to get it done.
Finch has to preach a free-flowing mindset and a focus on both ends heading into Game 2. The Wolves need to recognize that what’s going on isn’t living in a silo. Just look at social media. The whistle Gilgeous-Alexander is getting has Bill Simmons and Nick Wright in lockstep on an NBA take. We thought we’d never see the day!
I don’t care who wins this game. The touch foul calls SGA gets are really awful. They don’t resemble anything else that’s happening in the playoffs.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 21, 2025
"The dichotomy between how the Thunder guard – which is awesome, playoff, physical defense – and the way Shai initiates contact and then reacts as if there were a sniper in the crowd and just flails to the ground and time after time gets rewarded for it is utterly maddening."… pic.twitter.com/HxTQoELejl
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) May 21, 2025
All the attention people are paying to the egregious whistle Gilgeous-Alexander received is a good thing for the Wolves. Let others focus on it while you pivot towards winning Game 2.
It’s a concept that’s easier to preach than to practice. Still, to advance to the NBA Finals, the Wolves must not let the lousy whistle take over the thoughts that boiled over in Game 1.
Let others talk about it and be frustrated about it.
If there is any beauty to be found after what was a brutal watch in Game 1 due to the whistle, it’s that what was experienced on NBA Twitter was truly a rare sight to behold.
All different avenues of NBA Twitter agreed that Gilgeous-Alexander got a favorable whistle and flopped his way into getting calls.
There was one foul in which Gilgeous-Alexander tried cutting between Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo, slipped to the floor without being touched, and got the whistle. It might not have even been the worst of the bunch on Tuesday night, but it was one that Finch had to challenge and easily overturned.
It would be one thing if the Wolves and their fan base saw it through Minnesota goggles, but nobody else saw it that way. That’s not the case. Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-baiting is on full display for everyone, thus causing widespread agreement on social media. That should make it easier for Wolves players to try to ignore it during the games. If anything, put it on Finch’s lap and let him deal with the frustration. He’s shown a willingness to do so.
Have you ever seen the meme of rival gangs tying bandanas together as a sign of solidarity and uniting for a common cause? That’s what social media felt like after that Academy Award-nominated performance by Gilgeous-Alexander. If nothing else, seeing the avalanche of responses on social media had to be somewhat cathartic for Wolves fans.
Minnesota can’t let a lousy whistle affect its mentality heading into Game 2. Everyone is aware of what’s going on. If Edwards and Co. continue to let the refs and Gilgeous-Alexander dictate their mood, the Wolves are doomed.
As former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown eloquently said after the Boston Celtics’ Game 3 win over the New York Knicks last round, “You have got to beat us four times.”
The Knicks curb-stomped Boston in Game 6 and eventually eliminated them, but the point remains.
Tuesday’s game may have felt like two or three losses for the Wolves. It was only one, and this team has shown plenty of resilience this season.
Ignore the foul-baiting, ignore the whistle, and focus on getting the split in Oklahoma City.
It was just one loss.