'Immense pain': Chris Finch at Timberwolves practice one day after knee operation

Chris Finch was at practice – on crutches and with his right leg heavily wrapped and in a brace – on Thursday, one day after undergoing surgery to repair the ruptured patellar tendon that he suffered in Minnesota's Game 4 sweeping win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.

Finch was physically in the building at 600 Hennepin Ave. downtown Minneapolis, and likely in some serious pain.

"I think the initial pain medication that they gave him was starting to wear off from the surgery, so I think he was in immense pain," Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori told WCCO-AM 830's Chad Hartman. "But I think that he doesn't show it. You ask him and he's 'I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.'"

Finch and the Timberwolves toughed out a 56-win regular season and made quick work of the Suns in a first-round sweep. Now they're heading to Denver to practice at altitude and prepare for a second-round series against the defending champion Nuggets.

Finch won't be on the team plane Thursday night, however.

I don't think he's going to fly with us tonight," Nori said. "I think he has a follow-up appointment tomorrow morning, post-op surgery appointment. "

The plan, according to Nori, is for Finch to fly to Denver immediately after his medical appointment Friday morning and he isn't expected to miss anything important in the lead-up to Game 1 Saturday night.

"Other than him just not physically being on the plane with us, that's the only thing he'll miss as far as game prep for Saturday," Nori said, noting that the Timberwolves don't have anything team-oriented happening in the Mile High City until 3 p.m. MT Friday.

Nori certainly sounded like he's preparing to be the top coach on the Timberwolves bench, noting that he doesn't think the league will allow Finch on the sidelines on crutches. Instead, he's hoping Finch gets a seat directly behind the bench.

"The only thing that would change (in that scenario) is that he would not be up and down the sidelines coaching. I think that would be more so myself," Nori said, "but I said Phil Jackson never stood up during games and he won 11 championships so this might be a blessing in disguise."

It's not clear how easy it will be for the Timberwolves to mimic a situation with Finch coaching from behind the bench, but him being at Thursday's practice might have served as one step in the acclimation process.

"Basically nothing changed other than the fact that he was sitting down other than standing up. Everything was going on right in front of him and he was stopping practice and coaching just as he always would, so nothing much changed on that front so it was very good," Nori explained.

Game 1 Saturday will start at 6 p.m. CT or 8:30 p.m. CT.