In his fourth season as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chris Finch won his first Coach of the Month Award.
Finch has been a coach since 2011. He started his career with the Houston Rockets and was an assistant coach for many teams until the Timberwolves in 2021. The team hasn’t found success until this season, where they have started 17-5 and sit atop the Western Conference. As Finch makes his mark this season, it’s intriguing to look back at Timberwolves’ history.
This isn’t just good for basketball— it’s historically good for Minnesota sports, period. This season is the best start in team history, not only just in basketball, but their .867 winning percentage in November marked the best record ever by a Minnesota-based MLB, NBA or NHL team in a single month (min. 15 games).
The last time a Timberwolves head coach won a Coach of the Month Award was in 2009 with Kevin McHale, where 24-year-old Al Jefferson averaged 23.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks alongside 20-year-old Kevin Love.
November was the best month in franchise history. The Timberwolves won 13 games to only two losses. Compared to last season, with their record of 42-40 and the big trade with Rudy Gobert, those who doubted the trade are starting to think, “Hey, maybe the Timberwolves could go all the way this year.” From the way the team has worked together on defense, we can see that is where their real strength is at.
Blast From The Past
While we celebrate the present achievements of Chris Finch and the Wolves, let’s take a nostalgic journey to 2008-2009, a season that was memorable for both the Timberwolves and basketball.
- Derrick Rose was the Rookie of The Year
- LeBron James was the Most Valuable Player
- The Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and coached by Phil Jackson, won the NBA Championship
- The Timberwolves picked O.J. Mayo over Russell Westbrook in the 2008 draft
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Defense Wins Games
The Timberwolves are rated the No. 1 defense in the NBA. It’s not only Gobert, but Naz Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns are dominant forces in the paint, paired with Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the perimeter. With big 7-footers in the paint and athletic frontcourt, the court is covered. Rudy has been a solid piece of this defense, prompting Finch to claim he is playing the best he’s ever seen him play.
Keep Doing What You’re Doing
With their defense anchoring the team’s success, the Timberwolves and Coach Finch are now looking ahead, focusing on maintaining their momentum as we head deeper into the season. Finch’s strategy is to keep building on these defensive strengths while ensuring the team stays versatile and resilient. How the Timberwolves navigate these challenges will be crucial in determining their place as a true contender in the NBA landscape.
So far, they have beaten some teams that were missing key players. With players coming back from injury, we’ll see how the Timberwolves do against some of the top teams like the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Philadelphia 76ers.
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