Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch Suffers Torn Knee Tendon After In-Game Collision

The Minnesota Timberwolves were forced to finish their series-clinching win over the Phoenix Suns without Chris Finch -- the head coach suffered a painful knee injury after his own player crashed into him on the sidelines ... and it was so bad, he had to be helped off the court.

The unfortunate incident went down in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter on Sunday ... when Wolves guard Mike Conley took the ball up the court and bumped into Suns star Devin Booker .

Conley tumbled toward the sideline right where Finch was standing ... and the momentum forced him down to the hardwood, despite the hooper trying to brace his fall.

Finch immediately started wincing ... and remained down for several minutes.

Eventually, he was helped off the court ... but it was clear he wasn't able to put any pressure on his right leg.

Finch got checked out in the locker room as assistant coach Micah Nori took over the clipboard for the last two minutes of the game ... and the Wolves were able to secure the 122-116 win and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

The team confirmed Finch ruptured his patellar tendon in his right knee ... an ailment that can take up to several months to heal.

It's unclear what'll happen ... but considering it's the playoffs, you can expect Finch to do whatever he can to help the team in the next round.