The Spurs handed Minnesota the worst playoff loss in franchise history on Wednesday. Finch had three words for his team afterward. Now San Antonio heads to Minneapolis for Game 3.
Chris Finch had three words for his team after the buzzer sounded on a 133-95 final Wednesday night in San Antonio. The Minnesota Timberwolves had just absorbed the worst playoff loss in franchise history and their head coach did not bother softening the message.
"We just got punked."
Not Punk'd the MTV show where Ashton Kutcher ambushed unsuspecting celebrities with elaborate pranks. The kind of punked where a young San Antonio team that had never been here before walked into Frost Bank Center and dismantled a battle-tested Minnesota group from the opening possession. The Spurs did not just win Game 2. They sent a message to the rest of the Western Conference.
Wembanyama set the tone immediately. He opened the scoring with a right-handed dunk on the third possession, hit a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter and finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds in just 26 minutes, becoming the youngest player in Spurs history to post those numbers in a playoff game.
Stephon Castle added 21 points and De'Aaron Fox chipped in 16 as San Antonio shot 50% from the field and 41% from three. The Spurs outscored Minnesota in transition 29-5, outrebounded them 55-43 and led by as many as 47 before Johnson pulled the starters with 10 minutes remaining. It was the highest-scoring playoff game for San Antonio since 1983 and the most complete performance of their entire postseason run.
The Spurs have not lost back-to-back games since January. This team does not spiral and Wednesday proved it. Losing Game 1 to a physical, experienced Minnesota team in front of a hostile crowd would have broken a lot of young rosters. San Antonio responded with their best game of the year.
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Now comes the real test. The series shifts to Target Center for Game 3 on Friday night, one of the most hostile environments in the playoffs. Minnesota and Oklahoma City are the only two teams that have not lost a home game this postseason.
The Wolves will have a packed building, a desperate crowd and a team that has been here before. The Spurs will have Wembanyama, a week's worth of momentum and proof that losing Game 1 meant absolutely nothing.