Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch didn't hold back after Game 1, expressing frustration with the 16 free throws Jamal Murray attempted in Denver's series-opening win. "Maybe we gotta start flopping, too," Finch told reporters Monday, shining a spotlight on what he sees as a league-wide trend of players exaggerating contact to draw whistles.

The free throw disparity was stark. Denver shot 33 free throws as a team compared to Minnesota's 19. Finch pointed out his two leading scorers, Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards, combined for just nine attempts. "Julius is not a flopper. Ant is not a flopper. They are physical drivers who play through the first line of contact," Finch said. "A lot of times that point of contact, if you were to spill away, you get a foul. But if you keep going, referees take a play-on mentality."

Nuggets coach David Adelman pushed back, noting four of Murray's free throws came from a flagrant foul on a 3-pointer and a technical. "So it was 12 [free throws]. And he got fouled," Adelman said. "It's the playoffs. This wasn't a game where he was walking to the line. He was playing through a lot of physicality." These teams met in a fierce seven-game series in 2024 playoffs, and the rivalry is being renewed in the first round of the 2026 playoffs with the coaches already exchanging words ahead of Game 2.