De'Aaron Fox is making it harder and harder to defend him. The Spurs just suffered the largest comeback defeat in the history of the playoffs after allowing the New York Knicks to erase a 29-point deficit to win Game 4. But the worst part is knowing it didn't have to happen.
San Antonio was up by a point with six seconds left after successfully defending what should have been the Knicks' best final attempt to win the game, but Fox made a potentially series-ending mistake. He went for a layup against New York's best perimeter defender and missed it, allowing NY one last bite at the apple, and this time they cashed in.
Fox is supposed to be the veteran on the floor, guiding the young guys. He made an amateur mistake that cost his team the game after making several other mistakes you don't expect from someone with his tenure.
Fox's mistakes will overshadow the rest of the Spurs' collapse
Losing a game after being up 29 points isn't a one-man job. It's a collective effort, and the blame falls on everyone, from the coach and superstar to the role players. They played hard early. The rotations were crisp, the ball moved, and everyone seemed determined to prove they were better than the Knicks.
However, once they felt they had proved their point, they eased up. It was like watching how Batman treats the Joker. No matter what the crazed lunatic does, the hero won't put the villain down. Obviously, nobody is talking about doing anything that final to the Knicks as people, but to their season? Hell yes.
San Antonio began settling for too many three-pointers in the second half, but unlike in the first two quarters of the game, these were more contested. Instead of using their opponent's energy against them by throwing a pump fake and driving hard to the basket, they just chunked up difficult shots. Naturally, they missed them.
Victor Wembanyama went from dominating the game to floating on the perimeter once again, and Mitch Johnson didn't do anything to fix it. The first-year coach has done a tremendous job to this point, but he's also inexperienced in this space. Mistakes are showing up, and the Spurs are paying a price.
But Fox was brought in to help the guys figure things out on the floor. Swipa went 2/8 from the field in the second half and turned the ball over four times, with two coming on consecutive possessions during the Knicks' run.
When the Spurs needed their experienced point guard to steady the ship, he rocked the boat until they capsized. Now they're one game away from elimination when the series should be tied heading back to San Antonio. Fox already had his critics, but they're only going to get louder now, and there's nothing anyone can say to defend him after that.
