Chris Finch will be unavailable for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their second series with the Denver Nuggets after his accident in their series-clinching Game 4 win against the Phoenix Suns.
Taking his place is assistant coach Micah Nori, who is regarded as the "Ted Lasso of the NBA."
For the uninitiated, Ted Lasso is a fictional character from the series of the same name. He is an American football coach who suddenly found himself coaching in soccer, a sport he knows nothing about.
Lasso compensates for his lack of soccer knowledge with optimism, humor, and wit.
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He got branded as Ted Lass of the NBA because of his short quips and humorous comments on media.
The best example is when the Wolves trailed the Suns in the half in Game 3.
"They caught us at the beach with no sunblock - we weren't prepared," he said during half-time.
In another interview, he said, "Our paint defense was like 7-11-open 24 hours."
Even players love him. They think he is offering something different than Finch, who some find stricter.
"He's funny, witty. He's got a lot to him, and you know, I'm not saying Finchy isn't funny, but Finchy can seem a little more serious than Micah, and it's good to have that kind of balance. Guys really respect Micah and what he brings out our team," Mike Conley said of Nori.
Even team superstar Anthony Edwards once dedicated his 50-point explosion to Nori for his birthday.
Nori has been coaching in the NBA as an assistant since 2009.
He first entered the league through the Toronto Raptors under head coaches Jay Triano and Dwayne Casey.
He was also an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons.
Nori joined the Wolves in 2021.
When asked how he would coach against the Nuggets, Nori said they would stick to the system that brought them success already and not mess things up at the very least.
Chris Finch's status for the second round
Finch underwent surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee after Conley collided with him in the last two minutes of their Game 4 win.
It appeared that he was trying to prevent Conley from falling to the bench by sacrificing himself.
He is recovering and might join the Colorado team, although he might fly separately.
It is also uncertain if he will be on the bench since his injured leg needs more space, and with the league's physicality, he can't risk putting his leg out.
ESPN reported that Finch will join the team in the locker room.
Nori said the head coach entrusted everything to the system they built.
On the other hand, the players trust the game plan they have been using since last season.
The first and second games of the NBA Playoffs second round will be at the Ball Arena.
The Wolves and the Nuggets met in the first round last season, and the former managed to win just one game.
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