The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are playing Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night, but the officiating stole the spotlight in the first half.
In the first quarter, the refs called 20 fouls, and there were 33 free throws attempted. The first three minutes of the game featured eight foul calls, a flagrant foul, and a technical foul.
There’s been 8 fouls, 1 flagrant, and 1 technical foul called so far in this Timberwolves-Grizzlies game.
We’re just 3 minutes in…
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 20, 2022
One would think that playoff basketball would feature the opportunity for more physicality and just “letting them play,” but that’s apparently not the case in this Minnesota-Memphis series. So many foul calls and stoppages also slow down the game pace significantly, making it a less entertaining product to watch.
Here’s a look at how the basketball world is reacting to the abundance of foul calls early in Game 3:
Grizzlies-Timberwolves 1st quarter summary:
65 points scored
20 fouls called
27 free throws made
33 free throws attempted pic.twitter.com/ShSexaNOh1— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 20, 2022
33 free throws in the first quarter is inexcusable.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 20, 2022
After one quarter, Timberwolves-Grizzlies has 20 fouls.
And if you're reading this, the refs have also given you a foul. sorry
— SB Nation (@SBNation) April 20, 2022
2 days ago: 18 fouls in the 1Q
Tonight: 20 fouls in the 1Q pic.twitter.com/Wc1fDPxO84
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 20, 2022
I’m gonna need the crowd in Memphis to abduct the refs for exactly two hours
— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) April 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1516581080857513986
Refs in the first 5 minutes of Memphis vs Minnesota pic.twitter.com/55bIr6SXvb
— Dean🐻 (@BurnerJa) April 20, 2022
