![Chris Finch to sit in second row behind team for Timberwolves-Nuggets series after rupturing patellar tendon](https://littlesunflower.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Chris-Finch-to-sit-in-second-row-behind-team-for-780x470.jpg)
DENVER — Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch needed to provide you with two sport plans for these Western Convention semifinals towards the Denver Nuggets: One for the opponent, and one for himself.
Six days after Finch suffered a rupture patellar tendon in a sideline collision with Mike Conley in Recreation 4 of the Timberwolves’ first-round collection towards the Phoenix Suns, and three days after he had surgical procedure to restore his proper knee, the 54-year-old addressed reporters earlier than Recreation 1 towards the Nuggets and detailed the in-game technique that may permit him to proceed main his group.
Finch, who returned to Minnesota’s practices on Thursday, will sit within the second row together with his teaching workers whereas assistant coach Micah Nori handles the entire on-court communication with Timberwolves gamers and the referees.
“The sport interplay and the sport circulate shall be largely run by Micah,” Finch mentioned. “Clearly I’m not ready to have the ability to rise up, name timeouts, work together with the gamers, you realize, that type of stuff. However being proper there with the coaches, and with the gamers within the huddles, that stuff would be the identical.”
Nobody can blame Finch for not eager to miss any of this historic Timberwolves motion. Minnesota’s win over Phoenix was the group’s first playoff collection win in 20 years, and this collection towards the defending champion Nuggets is slated to be a really aggressive matchup towards a group with which the Timberwolves are very acquainted. Denver downed Minnesota in 5 video games in final season’s first spherical, however the Timberwolves have since elevated into one of many NBA’s fastest-rising groups. And Finch, who’s in his fourth season as Minnesota’s coach, shall be in place to make an impression from the beginning.
“Yeah, really feel fairly good, all issues thought-about,” he mentioned. “The plan was to attempt to be right here all alongside, simply see how I felt daily and type of work out logistically the way it may work being on the bench with the opposite coaches.
“They actually needed me to only relaxation, and I’ve been making an attempt to do this. However I additionally needed to be right here. And you realize, if I may very well be right here in any capability, that was a very powerful factor for me.”
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(Picture: Christian Petersen / Getty Photos)