Tyler Rourke
Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks was one to remember. Down 27 at halftime, it looked like the Knicks would have to head back to Texas in a 2-2 series. That was until they completed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Late in the game, with about a minute to go, the Spurs found themselves up by 1. They got a stop on defense, which led to a loose ball that was controlled by De’Aaron Fox. He seemed to have an open lane to the rim, but he should’ve held the ball and forced New York to foul. Fox went up for the layup, and he was blocked by OG Anunoby, putting the ball back in New York’s hands. After the game, Fox commented on his decision.
“I just thought I’d be able to outrun him. That’s it,” Fox told a reporter postgame.
Related: Four Takeaways From the Knicks Historic Game 4 Comeback
A Championship Worthy Decision
Fox’s decision to go for the layup left the Knicks with the ball with under ten seconds remaining. As the Knicks maintained possession, Fox used a foul on Jose Alvarado to set up their defense. In such a hectic moment, this gave Head Coach Mike Brown time to use a timeout and draw up a play in the final moments of the game. While Jalen Brunson’s game-winner attempt didn’t fall, Fox was the one who left Anunoby in the final seconds. He allowed him a clean look at a putback and the game-winner, which he converted on.
Fox has been facing criticism all playoffs long about his poor shooting performances and lack of effort. With a young star like Dylan Harper, who has proven to be positively effective for the Spurs, people are calling for Fox to be traded. Fox is averaging 16 points per game on 42.5% shooting in 33.4 minutes these playoffs, while Harper is averaging 13.1 on 51.4% shooting in 26.5 minutes.
In the second half of Wednesday night’s game, De’Aaron Fox had 44 total touches, the most of any Spur. Of those 44 touches, only 5 touched the paint, and San Antonio scored 0.39 points per chance out of his touches. When defended by Anunoby, Fox shot 2-0f-6 from the field with two turnovers. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting with four turnovers.
While Fox is one of the quickest players in the league, he clearly wasn’t fast enough to ‘outrun’ Anunoby. His decision is a key reason why the Spurs are down 3-1.
