The Minnesota Timberwolves have kept the Phoenix Suns from winning a single playoff game in the first four weeks. They only share that unique playoff accomplishment with one other team, the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s an unfavorable position to be in. But one Phoenix Suns foul went very, very wrong in the last two minutes of the game.
Will the single mistake cascade into a series of mistakes that will permanently alter the Minnesota Timberwolves 2024 NBA playoff run? It’s unclear, but one fowl could have far-reaching consequences. Read all about what happened to Coach Chris Finch at the tail end of Game 4 below.
Mike Conley Jr. is Fouled
With 1:49 left on the clock, everything hit the fan. Mike Conley Jr. was hauling it down the court with the ball when Devin Booker earned himself a foul with his overzealous coverage. He guarded Conley with his arms straight up, and as a result, the Minnesota Timberwolves point guard was bumped out of bounds. All six of Conley’s feet went careening into the sidelines.
And it all ends there, right? Conley catches himself and gets right back in the game. Nope, that’s not even close to the nightmare that followed.
A Bad Situation Gets Worse
Devin Booker can be a bit spicy on the court, but he outdid himself Sunday night. Granted, he didn’t do anything extraordinary; it was pretty tame on a scale of 1 to Draymond Green. But as we know, you can foul someone a million times, and there are few consequences. Then there’s that one time when things go horrifically wrong. This was that time.
Minnesota Timberwolves Mike Conley loses his balance, and who’s there to catch him? His head coach, Chris Finch, of course. Does Finch stabilize Conley, allowing the point guard to get right back in the game? Not quite.
Instead, Conley knocks Finch over. And Finch gets right back up, a little shaken up, right? Again, no.
Chris Finch fell and ruptured his patellar tendon in his right knee. This author has this injury, and it can be confirmed that this injury is hard to recover from. Even with the quickest healing possible, it’s at least a month and a half after surgery with a huge knee cast that keeps your leg straight. After you can bend your knee with a bulky brace, it’s incredibly sore, and the muscle is weak. Read all about it from a sports medicine doctor here.
It’s hard to imagine that the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach will be able to be on the sidelines for the next month and a half. It will likely take much longer for him to be able to put weight on the knee and run, in case he needs to avoid Mike Conley running into the sidelines again.
How Will This Affect the Minnesota Timberwolves?
Well, apparently, the Minnesota Timberwolves are maintaining their “next man up” attitude with confidence, according to assistant coach Micah Nori. He was quoted in the post-game press conference saying, “I know it sounds cliche-ish and corny, but it’s just next man up, even with the coaching staff… I would never say business as usual because Finchy does a phenomenal job, just trying to carry over what he’s been doing.”
Sentimentality is not a strong suit for the new Minnesota Timberwolves head coach. He definitely said business as usual, indirectly. No crying over spilled milk, even if it’s for your head coach, who’s helped you kill it in the NBA playoffs so far.
About the Author
The author, Julie Miller, has two degrees that barely have anything to do with sports. They do offer insight on the health, body, and mind of athletes, as well as a background in statistics. Injury reports are a delight! Keep an eye on Julie, because her interests vary far and wide within the realm of sports, with an eye for the abstract.
You can find Julie Miller on X and Instagram at @itsmillercrime. She also has two weekly podcast shows, one on True Crime within the world of sports and another on general sports updates, that can both be found here.
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