Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr have long set the standard for trust between a superstar and his coach. Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch have built something just as special. But one moment changed everything.

Unlike Kerr, Finch publicly called out his franchise star, and years later, he still wishes he had handled it differently. Coach Finch recently joined The Road Trippin’ Show.

The 56-year-old shared, “The one moment that sticks out was Game 1 of the West semis last year against Golden State. He [Anthony Edwards] just had an off game, and I called him out publicly in the post-game. It was probably definitely unnecessary.”

The Wolves head coach went on, “I know he was a little bit hurt by it, but he takes all that coaching and criticism. Well, I think at that point in time, it was probably not needed, but he woke up. He was great the rest of the series. You’re allowed to have a bad game from time to time, and I didn’t give him that grace. I regret that moment.”

On May 7, 2025, Minnesota stumbled to a 99-88 Game 1 loss against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. Stephen Curry exited in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and never returned after halftime. Even so, the Timberwolves failed to capitalize. Instead, their offense fell apart, allowing Golden State to seize the early edge.

The Wolves’ shooting deserted them when it mattered most. They missed 16 straight from deep, went 0 for 15 before halftime, and closed 5 of 29 after hitting only 7 of 47 against the Lakers. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards missed his first 11 shots, finished 9 of 22 with 23 points, and Chris Finch openly criticized his performance afterward.

“It starts with Ant. I thought Anthony struggled early, and you could just kind of see the light go out a little bit. It was one of those games where he came out with a predetermined mindset of what he was trying to do, rather than just playing the game that was in front of him,” Finch called out.

“What is there to talk about? You’re the leader of the team, and you’ve got to come out and set the tone. If your shot’s not going, you still have to carry the energy,” the head coach added. “If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into the opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”

But after the odd public treatment and Game 1 loss, Edwards did not have to look back. He averaged 26.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 5 games in the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals. Thus pushing the Minnesota Timberwolves into the Conference Finals for the second time in a row.