Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch will undergo knee surgery for a torn patella tendon suffered in a sideline collision with point guard Mike Conley in the team’s closeout win over the Phoenix Suns, per NBA insiders Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Conley accidentally crashed into Finch while trying to make a play in with less than two minutes left in the Timberwolves’ Game 4 victory, enabling them to sweep the Suns in the first round. Minnesota advanced to the second round, where it will meet the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Game 1 is Saturday at Denver.
Barring any complications, Finch should be able to travel with the Timberwolves for that game, Wojnarowski and Shelburne reported.
Finch coached the Timberwolves to a 56-26 record and the third seed in the Western Conference. This marks their first appearance in the second round of the NBA playoffs since 2004.
Finch has been Minnesota’s coach for three seasons and it has made the playoffs each time.
“In the early stages of his rehabilitation, Finch will be required to keep right leg immobilized in a brace,” Wojnarowski and Shelburne wrote. “If Finch isn’t able to park on the sidelines to start the series, assistant Micah Nori will coach Game 1 on Saturday, with Finch likely communicating to the bench from the locker room, sources said.”
Nori took over for Finch in the final 1:41 of the Game 4 win over the Suns, following Finch’s injury. The Wolves coasted from there.
“Everybody has their role, everybody has each other’s back,” Nori told NBA reporters. “I know it sounds corny, but it’s just next man up, even with the coaching staff.”
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