r/NBASpurs • u/daddadnc • 2d ago
Post Game Thread Did yall note how explosive Fox looked last night?
There’s no OG block last Finals if he is at full strength, he’s slamming that thing down. He didn’t just forget how to play basketball and I’m excited for his redemption year.
155
u/Bonesawisready5 2d ago
It’s a wonder what not having a high ankle sprain does for an athlete right?????
18
u/LazyMousse4266 Dylan Harper 2d ago
I’m totally on board with the idea that Fox will be better without injuries but all y’all pretending he wasn’t repeatedly calling his own number at a time when he clearly didn’t have it is crazy work
28
u/diamondhorizons 2d ago
I really dislike this revisionism that the only mistake Fox made was the layup. He bricked so many shots and turned it over multiple times BEFORE the layup.
11
u/Sir__Douglas Dylan Harper 2d ago
The injuries played a role in his poor shooting, but there definitely were some bone-headed turnovers in the Finals.
2
u/wallitron 2d ago
Injury also affects your decision making, because things you normally can do, are now not on the table.
The games where Fox was missing (Game 1 OKC, Castle 11 turnovers, Game 2, Castle 9 turnovers), showed how badly they needed his skill set, even playing injured. The Spurs don't beat OKC without Fox.
-3
u/-bigmanpigman- 2d ago
By boneheaded turnovers, are you talking about wemby throwing the pass to castle's back?
6
u/Sir__Douglas Dylan Harper 2d ago
No, the thread and comment are about Fox, so I was only commenting on Fox. Feel free to start your own thread about Wemby.
11
u/Armanewb Tim Duncan 2d ago
We also going to memoryhole him going 4/9 from three vs the other starters not named Devin going 4/18?
Or him playing 37 minutes on a bum ankle (Mitch malpractice btw)?
Castle with no made FGs after the first quarter?
Hilariously Fox had the fourth highest FG% on the team in that game, ahead of Wemby, Castle, Julian, and Keldon, and I would barely count Carter Bryant's 3 FGs in 5 mins in there. His turnover % was also comparable to Harper's (19.2% vs 18.9%). Despite the dumbass layup at the end, it REALLY wasn't his fault they lost that game.
I'm solidly on the fence when it comes to Fox, but he is wildly overhated here.
2
u/diamondhorizons 2d ago
He went 2/8 in the second half of that game and committed two turnovers in the clutch. It was absolutely his fault in large part when factoring in the layup and doing fuck all defensively on the last play.
1
u/Several_Chapter969 Devin Vassell 1d ago
I’ll admit to having sub-zero desire to rewatch that game, but my recollection of it is the entire team riding the fuck-up carousel for the second half. Fox just happened to be holding the ball last. It’s also the same series where Wemby blew a game throwing the ball off Castle’s back. I’m not saying he didn’t contribute to the fuck-ups, it’s just weird that he gets singled out.
6
u/thendnchieftain 2d ago
There’s no nuance, it’s all gotta be black or white (ironic given the team’s color scheme lmao).
Like, yeah, he was hurt and would obviously play better if he were healthy. Common sense. Like you said, he did dumb shit at inopportune times.
2
u/Bonesawisready5 2d ago
I mean Wemby was shooting tour dates in 4Q, Castle was going 1/10 in game 5. Someone had to fucking do it and they all failed.
-7
u/Altruistic_Agency320 2d ago
Does the ankle injury explain a terrible basketball IQ decision? If he knew he was injured thats even more reason to not attempt the shot he did. Let’s also not pretend his contract wasn’t considered the worse in the league even prior to the injury. Just feels more like a convenient cop out if anything.
1
u/Bonesawisready5 2d ago
Yes. Because even tho he should have run out the clock, normally he might make it to the basket in time. Because the explosive part of his ankle that gives him that speed and burst, was hurt. Is this a real question or have you never done any athletic activity at any moderately competitive level?
15
u/W3MBYY_F4N 2d ago
This is the first time he’s fully healthy as a Spur. He had his finger injury when he was traded there and was recovering from a hamstring injury last year
49
u/munchonsomegrindage Area 51 2d ago
That's what Fox defenders have been saying since the finals. Yea we were pissed too, and he could have easily ran the clock out, but there's no doubt in my mind that a healthy Fox is a menace on the court.
23
u/SWBattleleader 2d ago
I have never understood why that play gets so much more hate than Wemby bouncing a pass off Castle’s back.
9
u/Glum_Measurement2158 El Jefe 2d ago
ill tell you why... first of all, a guard doesn't get to not watch the ball in transition, so Wemby did a bad play and so did Castle, both are in their first playoff run ever with less than 3 years in the league.
Fox is a vet that has seen it all and he was a controlled PG the whole season, like just look at his TO, you know you are not in top form, why are you trying that stuff when you can let them foul you and the game is over.
12
u/Armanewb Tim Duncan 2d ago
both are in their first playoff run ever
Fox with a whopping one extra playoff series worth of experience from 3 years prior lol and fighting off the equivalent of CTE from being on the Kangz for so long
4
u/nicfanz Victor Wembanyama 2d ago
Wemby is 22 year old in his first finals. Fox is 10 years in getting paid $200 million. There are higher expectations for him
7
u/SWBattleleader 2d ago
Wemby is an MVP candidate, I have higher expectations for him. Fox doesn’t make this run without him.
1
u/Ecstatic_Visual_2026 Dylan Harper 2d ago
Also Mitch should have called a time out there, just like when fox got blocked by og. I know he's a rookie coach but I feel like he doesn't get enough criticism for how he coached the finals and gave up multiple leads.
10
u/Joethetoolguy Victor Wembanyama 2d ago
That poster dunk was nasty. I knew he was explosive but had forgotten after the injuries.
10
u/Frustratedtx Sandro Mamukelashvili 2d ago
I'm buying the narrative that he was injured last year and will be more explosive this season and generally play better.
That said, dude still got easily blocked in the first quarter last night trying an ill advised layup where he thought he got past the defender and it almost gave me ptsd.
13
u/EazyBeekeeper 2d ago
He made a risky poster dunk, and I was all for it. This is revenge year ala 2014
7
u/WhiskeyRic 2d ago
Bro was playing on one leg at the end there
2
u/Successful_Abalone39 1d ago
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MVxlAvIA8yM
This was before the injury' btw
17
u/Jackburton06 2d ago
I hate people talking about getting rid of Fox after the finals.
Spurs mentality = comeback stronger after a choke. 2013 to 2014 vibes.
The Fox is our point guard, hope he will be healthy and prove everybody wrong. And Dylan Harper will be 6th man of the year.
Fox played the finals injured he was not the player we knew during regular season. The all team choked, Wemby included. The Spurs organization had always take care of everyone. Hope this roster will be united and would not give a shit about internet trashtalk about Fox.
6
u/MisanthropicAnthrope 2d ago
Imagine if we had gotten rid of Pop, Duncan, Parker, Ginobili or Kawhi after the mistakes they made in the 2013 Finals…
5
u/David_H21 2d ago
You're comparing guys with 3-4 rings who were proven winners to Fox who has been on losing teams his whole career and never really played high stakes basketball. This is the guy who went 5-19 shooting with 5 TOs in his first ever game seven as a 6 year veteran.
I'm not one of the guys whos completely out on Fox, but your comparison is absolutely terrible.
1
u/jf8350143 2d ago edited 2d ago
Parker made a ton of mistakes in his early years. Manu made even more, through out his entire career. In 2006 he famously fouled Dirk for no reason and cost us the series. Imagine what will happen if that happens now?
Point is you don't get rid of a player simply because they played a bad series with injury. People complaining Fox made a dumb decision, but he also made a very smart foul in game 7 of the thunder series and suddenly no one remembers that.
0
u/David_H21 1d ago
Again, you're comparing a proven winner to Dearon Fox. Manu was a 2 time champ already in 2006 who put up a legendary playoff performance just the previous year in 2005. Your comparisons are terrible.
-1
u/gregatronn 1d ago
You're comparing guys with 3-4 rings
We go further back in time, for examples. Parker was outplayed by Speedy. Manu's foul in 2006 on Dirk.
2
u/David_H21 1d ago
Manu in 2006 was a 2x champ who put up a legendary performance just the year before in the 2005 playoffs.
Parker in 2003 was our 20 year old, up and coming PG of the future. Fox is a 10 year vet making max money taking minutes away from our point guard of the future.
Still very terrible comparisons.
0
1
u/Jackburton06 2d ago
Or Pop, he choked at the coachin sending Timmy on the bench, not fouling Lebron before the first shot. Kawhi choked at the free throw line, Ginobili only scored 9 points during Game 6... Tony was good in the beginning of the series but shot 25%FG during game 6 AND 7... Duncan missed such an easy shot at a crucial moment.
The all team choked and let slipped a ring that was just there... But they met each other during summer, they cry, they told each other what they have to say to go back fighting. Their next season was amazing and these playoffs... These finals. Same old players, almost exact same team and they succeed to catch the trophy with one of the most beautiful basket-ball ever.
I hate 2026 mentality about changing everything as soon as a team choke in playoffs. Look at the Knicks, 2026 champions after many complicated playoffs and doubts about Brunson.
3
3
4
u/rebrydson 1d ago
There is a big difference between being physically limited and making mental mistakes. If you are physically limited then veterans SHOULD know to play within them selves or be aware of games situations. Max player can't make those kinds of mistakes.
0
2
u/Screenscripter82 The Admiral 2d ago
Exactly, he was playing hurt and people are hating on him way beyond his faults. I really think his is getting this hate to justify moving him as we know he won't be here longterm. To be honest though it is purely because of money issues. There is no doubt that he makes us better.
2
u/Asleep_Maybe_3917 Matt Bonner 2d ago
It was easy to criticize him last year, especially for that end of game blunder. But thinking about it now it occurs to me that his mindset was based on how incredibly good he is, he just isn't going to miss a layup. But his ankle was hurt and it seems that certainly was enough for him to get caught and blocked on that play. I'm looking forward to watching him help us win games this year, for the few games I can watch without the crap show dazn.
4
u/coyote_edging Manu Ginobili 2d ago
I’m excited for him to shut up the haters.
Dude put it all on the line for the team AND the fans by playing injured during the finals, yet the narrative is that he choked. He truly didn’t have to play injured, he already got his payday, but he did it anyway.
4
u/LovesBodyx2 2d ago edited 2d ago
fox can say he's tuning out all the noise all he wants but he knows it's out there and i think that dunk symbolized he's here and healthy and intent on changing the narrative this season. I really think the ideal substitution pattern for fox should be: starts the game, comes out earlier than rest of starters, then plays significant minutes with second unit. this gets him on the floor with better screeners in reed and kornet (a la Sabonis) which behooves his playlight. also generally gives him more a greenlight to score; he's a rhythm player who has struggled a bit with deferring as much as he has to. despite the negatives last year I never lost sight of the fact that he brings to the table something this team needs until the game slows down further for castle and harper.
4
u/MongooseTotal831 2d ago
There’s no OG block if Fox just holds the ball. His brain was the problem on that play.
3
3
u/Necessary_Ad_4461 2d ago
There’s no OG block if the spurs didn’t blow a 29 point lead. Fox gets way too much scrutiny.
0
u/TheSleep-Committee 2d ago
He was signed as a veteran on a high paying contract, that comes with more scrutiny
-1
u/putterthrow_ 2d ago
Okay it’s one play and he fucked up. Physically being limited also messes up your decision making too
2
u/Bonesawisready5 2d ago
Why are ppl downvoting??? Do they not understand from their couches that one of the fastest players in the NBA might or likely normally makes that shot before getting blocked if he doesn’t have a painful ankle sprain in the part of the body he needs most for speed? I mean yeah he should have run out the clock but I can easily understand why he thought he could pull it off and his body failed him.
If Fox is healthy he makes the layup before the block or OG fouls him coz he’s late
Yet no one harps on the NBA admitting in L2M that Hart got away with a foul that should’ve been FTs for Castle to win the game. Or that Wemby shot 34% in every 4Q of finals. Or that Harper, Castle, Wemby shot countless early shot clock 3s with 10-14 seconds left instead of running out clock. Even if they shot clock violations on those missed 3s they win.
Nah just FOX fucked up.
2
1
1
1
1
u/rattatatouille Victor Wembanyama 2d ago
He finally looks healthy. I hope it lasts through the playoffs; we need him and everyone else at full strength.
1
u/NairbZaid10 1d ago
OGs block happened cause he had a brainfart. Even without running he couldve baited a foul during the shot or even better, not risk the shot at all and simply run the clock down by driving to the 3 pt line instead
1
u/itzsoweezee78 Manu Ginobili 2d ago
The problem wasn’t that he got blocked on that shot in the finals. The problem was that he even attempted it in the first place (especially if he was injured). One of the dumbest basketball decisions in a finals game I’ve ever seen in my life.
1
u/commander_bugo Victor Wembanyama 2d ago
Agreed, but now I’m just concerned if he can stay healthy. That’s a pretty bad sign if a guy couldn’t get healthy for a season and a half, makes him seem very injury prone.
1
u/Glum_Measurement2158 El Jefe 2d ago
body injuries come and go, good players need to know when they are up to the task and when they are not, there is a IQ baseline that they should have and it should be expected from a PG.
We all saw that King's Fox is one of the fastest guard in the league if not the fastest but... what about it? just play smart basketball, you are in a team full of future all stars and with a good core, last year the bench was a little thin but anyway... you are their vet, the savvy guy, act the part and always be the brain and when needed the brawl
-2
u/Stunning_Release_795 Stephon Castle 2d ago
I don’t buy this. I won’t easily forget the panic in Foxes eyes last June. He may have been hobbled but he still completely shrunk
1
-6
u/ThrowAway_Castle_Owl "What the fuck is this?" 2d ago
shooters for fox already in midseason form
2
u/daddadnc 2d ago
Hey I call em like I see em. Every time he queued up a 3 in the playoffs last year I audibly groaned. I was hopeful - but not sure - that it was mostly injury related and we’d see the explosive Fox again.
That dunk was the best he’s looked as a Spur. Maybe he just can’t stay healthy, it was a short offseason after all and likely (hopefully) another 100+ game season to come. But we also now know that Harper can handle more and keep him fresh.
-4
u/Firefenex 2d ago
Can't you just compliment the dunk without bringing a hypothetical about probably the worst moment in his career that most fans dont want to be reminded of?
119
u/fab_frog_disco 2d ago
I don't remember which podcast it was on, but relatively recently a spur-centric podcast was talking about. How they spoke with Fox and how he talked about this last year being one of the most difficult starts to a season he had ever had between recovering from the finger surgery and then just consistent small lingering leg injuries. How he was never really able to get into proper shape or a rhythm with the team having to recover. Essentially the whole off-season, training, camp, preseason, and even start to the year.
I think there's validity to the idea that he never got to his full capacity athletically last year, let alone in the finals when he was extremely hobbled. I'm excited to see what he does now that he's had a full off-season training camp and preseason with the team