Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had to be helped off the court and miss the remaining 1:41 of Sunday's Game 4 victory after a collision with Minnesota guard Mike Conley.
Conley was dribbling down the sideline when he was hit by Devin Booker and steered over to his left. Finch braced himself for impact but took a direct hit from Conley, who tried to catch the coach during the collision. Finch could be seen grabbing his right knee as he fell to the floor.
Assistant coach Micah Nori coached the remainder of the contest, which wound up being a 122-116 win against the Suns to sweep Phoenix out of the playoffs.
What is Finch's status moving forward? Here's what you need to know.
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Chris Finch injury update
Finch sustained a right patellar tendon rupture, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Chris Hine.
Chris Finch tore his patellar tendon tonight on this play
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 29, 2024
-He will need surgery likely between rounds
-Timeline of healing is 6 months but usually 1 year before feeling normal pic.twitter.com/9iF94UOOWq
Finch reportedly underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair the tendon, according to ESPN. He will need to keep his right leg immobilized, and his status was uncertain for the beginning of the series against the Nuggets.
That said, Shams Charania reported there's "optimism" that Finch will be sitting near the bench for Game 1 of the Nuggets vs. Timberwolves series.
Good news: There is increased optimism that Minnesota coach Chris Finch (torn patellar tendon) will be seated near bench for Timberwolves-Nuggets Western Conference semifinals tipping off on Saturday night, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 4, 2024
If Finch does remain unavailable, Nori would be the coach for Game 1.
Nori said that the surgery was successful, and the team is still assessing options for Game 1 of the second-round series. There is a possibility of Finch joining the bench, or having him watch from a suite and join the team before the game and at halftime to talk about adjustments.
Dr. Brian Sutterer explained on his YouTube channel that Finch will likely need to keep his knee locked straight in a brace for "at least usually a few weeks, a month" or possibly longer. He said while Finch can put weight on the leg sooner, he will not be able to bend it. Because of that, while he can be on the sideline, he might still not be in a safe position to potentially avoid contact should players head toward the bench as what happened with his injury. Sutterer speculated Finch might be at the game, but would be unable to be "front and center" and that instead he might be behind the bench.
Following the game, Conley joked in his press conference that he told the coach to "sit his a— down, he shouldn't be standing up like that late in the game." He said he didn't see the coach until it was too late to stop the collision from happening.
"He didn’t wanna see me at first. I walked in and he started to run away. He tried to shoo me away," Conley said. "I didn’t see him, honestly at first, I was just trying to push the ball up the floor and Book kind of hip-checked me out of bounds and when I saw him it was too late."
The team visited Finch in the medical room after winning the game, with Nori describing Finch as being "in good spirits," as are the rest of the players. Finch did not speak after the game.
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Torn patellar tendon recovery
If Finch was playing, it would be a season-ending injury for the fourth-year Minnesota coach. As it stands, his status for the remainder of the playoff series has not been confirmed by the team.
It can take six to 12 months to fully recover from the injury, according to Resilience Orthopedics.
Over the first two weeks of recovery, the knee will be immobilized in a brace, and crutches will be needed to walk. Following two weeks in a brace, the leg can partially hold weight, but it won't be until six weeks of recovery that the injured leg will be able to bear normal weight, per Resilience Orthopedics.
Minnesota is hoping to continue playing at least until June when the 2024 NBA Finals begin. It would be at the five-week point at the start of the NBA Finals and the eight-week point on the last day of the Finals.