Desmond Bane pushes Timberwolves coach Chris Finch in heated playoff game
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Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane learned that pushing a coach is a no-no in Tuesday’s 111-109 Game 5 win against the Timberwolves.
Bane was caught shoving Minnesota head coach Chris Finch to the side while trying to inbound the ball in the second quarter — and Finch wasn’t happy.
The second-year Minnesota coach raised his arm to shake Bane’s hand in a tense moment that was caught by a referee, who intervened and hit Bane with a technical foul.
The Grizzlies-Timberwolves series has been a highly entertaining battle between two of the league’s youngest teams. Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins was fined $15,000 Monday for criticizing the officiating after Game 4, which ended in a Timberwolves win.
After a dramatic comeback victory in Game 5, Bane told reporters that the Timberwolves were talking trash down the stretch when they were up.
Desmond Bane gets a tech for touching Wolves coach Chris Finch.
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“Their players talking, ‘Oh, they about to fold, they about to fold,’ I knew that wasn’t the case,” Bane said.
Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant — who gifted Bane his Most Improved Player award earlier this week — scored the game-winning layup with one second left on the clock after Anthony Edwards hit the tying 3-pointer seconds before.
Bane finished the win with 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting to help push the Grizzlies to a 3-2 series lead.
![Desmond Bane shoves Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/bane.jpg?w=1024)
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Minnesota.