Wolves coach Finch tears patellar tendon colliding with Conley

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch endured a frightening incident during Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Late in the fourth quarter, Finch collided with his point guard, Mike Conley, and had to be assisted off the court. Subsequent medical evaluation confirmed Finch had torn his patellar tendon in his right leg.

Despite the setback, the Timberwolves managed to secure a 122-116 victory, completing a sweep of their first-round series and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2004.

The collision occurred with less than two minutes remaining in the game when Conley was dribbling up the sideline and collided with Finch after being bumped and fouled by Devin Booker. Finch collapsed to the ground in apparent pain, necessitating medical attention.


Assistant coach Micah Nori addressed the media postgame, revealing that Finch was undergoing medical evaluation and that the team had visited him in the medical room after the game.

Earlier in the day, Finch received recognition as the third-place vote-getter for NBA Coach of the Year, behind Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic. Finch's leadership had propelled the Timberwolves to one of their most successful seasons in franchise history, in terms of wins.

Source CBS Sports: Timberwolves coach Chris Finch suffers torn patellar tendon after collision with Mike Conley
Source ESPN: Wolves coach Chris Finch injures knee in sideline collision