Finnish coach had an NBA Playoffs debut to forget.

By Eurohoops team/ [email protected]

Tuomas Iisalo joined the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff last summer, but about three weeks ago, he was handed the reins of the team when the franchise parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins.

The Finnish coach, who won the Basketball Champions League with Telekom Baskets Bonn and the EuroCup with Paris last season, got a chance to debut as a head coach in the Playoffs in his first NBA season. Unfortunately, he won’t be remembering his Playoffs debut fondly.

The Grizzlies suffered a devastating 131-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the first-round series.

“Well, I think there’s a few things. First, it’s very hard to play worse than this,” Iisalo was honest after the defeat.

Despite losing heavily, Memphis’ coach tries to stay positive.

“There’s an old saying that a playoff series doesn’t start before there’s a road win. You’re expected to defend your home court. We’ll be better in the next game,” Iisalo concluded after his team suffered the fifth toughest loss in Playoff history.