The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t afraid of trash talk during and immediately after their playoff series win over the Los Angeles Lakers last spring, and a new NBA season doesn’t mean the chatter has stopped. The dialogue continued Thursday, when Minnesota coach Chris Finch made an appearance on “The Zach Lowe Show.”
During a live episode filmed in Minneapolis, Finch made some playful quips in the opening moments of his guest appearance. Lowe, a media personality and the show’s host, began by talking about his six-month break from the game in between his departure from ESPN and joining the Ringer, noting how much he appreciated the downtime.
“I bet three-quarters of these people are going to go home and do a podcast tonight,” Finch said.
Lowe responded, “You’re going with the anti-media tropes right out of the gate.”
Then, Finch took a lighthearted jab at Lakers coach JJ Redick. “I mean, it’ll qualify you to coach the Lakers,” he said.
The crowd loudly reacted, and it left Lowe smiling. He paused before responding.
“That’s fair,” Lowe said. “Can’t argue with it.”
Near the end of his playing career in 2020, Redick launched “The Old Man and the Three” podcast in the NBA bubble. He developed a large following for his basketball analysis and joined forces with LeBron James for a new podcast in March 2024. However, Redick was hired to coach the Lakers that June with no coaching experience. His podcasting career was paused, and he was tasked with leading one of the most valuable franchises in the world.
Last spring, the Timberwolves spoiled the Lakers’ party. Minnesota was a massive underdog as a No. 6 seed in its first-round matchup with Los Angeles, but the Wolves handled the Lakers with a dominant five-game series win.
The Timberwolves didn’t refrain from trash talk on and off the court. The vocal Anthony Edwards was fined $50,000 for profane comments he made to a Lakers fan during the third quarter of Game 1.
After the series-clinching victory, Minnesota’s social media account leaned into trash-talking. Many had predicted the Lakers would take the series in five games, which the Wolves’ social media team referenced.
we were told in 5. pic.twitter.com/mx4zXwW0ow
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025
5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/tC4TeHSK5E
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025
Another post featured a Lakers flight headed for Cancun — a commonly invoked point of trash talk during the NBA postseason that refers to a team’s supposed plans after elimination.
hoLLLLyWood. pic.twitter.com/Hr72es7COX
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025
The account also used a segment from Season 1 of Netflix’s “Starting 5,” in which Edwards discusses hoping to beat James in a head-to-head matchup.
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025
If these two teams face off again in the playoffs, there will likely be fireworks, and Finch now has the latest laugh.