The Minnesota Timberwolves handled business with relative ease in their first-round series of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. They swept the star-studded Suns, winning three out of the four games by double-digits.
Heading into their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets, the Timberwolves have plenty of momentum. Alas, there is one major obstacle they may over to overcome; the status of head coach Chris Finch.
In the waning moments of Game 4 against Phoenix, Finch was involved in a collision with point guard Mike Conley Jr., who was fouled from behind by Devin Booker. The collision resulted in Finch tearing the patellar tendon in his knee and undergoing surgery this past week.
Finch is going to be in Denver with his team for Game 1 on Saturday, but where he will be during the game is still up in the air. Because he needs to keep his leg extended, the Timberwolves are figuring out if there is a safe space for him to be on the sidelines.
If not, he will watch the game from a suite above and meet with the team in the locker room at halftime. In that scenario, it will be assistant coach Micah Nori taking over the lead duties on the sideline.
Regardless of where Finch is, the Timberwolves are a confident bunch. They are prepared and ready to respond to Nori as they would Finch on the sidelines. Center Rudy Gobert spoke about his head coach and relayed that the team is there for him in any capacity.
“He made us all feel better to see him in great spirits the next day and being able to travel back with us,” Gobert said. “It’s unfortunate, obviously, but we’re here to support him and we’re going to try to make him proud from a distance.”
It will certainly be a bit of an adjustment if Finch cannot be on the sidelines. However, this is a group with plenty of continuity and chemistry. They know what they have to do going up against the defending NBA Champions in a seven-game series.
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