Play-in-bound Wolves coach Finch signs multi-year extension

Published 1:17 pm Monday, April 11, 2022

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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch signed a multi-year contract extension on Monday, after guiding the team to seventh place in the Western Conference and a play-in game berth.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Timberwolves also announced contract extensions for Finch’s assistants, the day before they host the Los Angeles Clippers for a spot in the playoffs.

“It’s been a season that all of us, including our fans. can be proud of,” Finch said in a statement distributed by the team. “I’m grateful that my staff will continue to lead us forward.”

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Executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta said Finch’s leadership is “unmatched and was evident by this year’s team success.”

Hired midway through the 2020-21 season to replace the fired Ryan Saunders, Finch has a 62-61 record for the second-best winning percentage (.504) by a head coach in Timberwolves history. The late Flip Saunders (.521) is first. Minnesota went 46-36 this season, the second-best record for the long-languishing franchise over the past 18 years.

The 52-year-old Finch has been an assistant with Toronto, New Orleans, Denver and Houston. The Timberwolves led the NBA in scoring this season at 115.9 points per game, a first in franchise history. Their defense also forced a league-leading average of 16.3 turnovers per game.