Fox getting slammed

Runt#1969

All-American
Dec 13, 2010
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I can see where he maybe thought in that split second, and hey ... I can lay it in maybe get fouled, end this game here, now.

But he didn't think they'd get back so quickly to outright block it.

And in less time than that, the decision had been made, and so was the play, when he should have pulled it back and ran out the time... egads.

And all this series and the playoffs, really, I don't understand HOW in the.... he just doesn't mesh as that #2 veteran glue guy running the show. Castle and the rest are turnover prone, and Fox should be fine. But he isn't

and wasn't tonight.

Just insanely crazy, MSG miracle 2026 !
 
Mar 10, 2003
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Fox is getting heat, rightfully so, but the biggest issue for the Spurs was when they were up big and in the bonus. They continued to jack up 3s. Their coach let a run hit 24-4 before calling timeout. Wemby missed FT in the clutch. I thought Fox got bodied on that block and I’m not sure Castle ever stepped out of bounds on that clutch play. That’s basketball but the entire team and staff melted down. They had the winning play drawn perfect and it was open. KAT tipped the pass and saved the day.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
46,413
84,763
113
Well... yeah. It was a very dumb decision by him.

And frankly he hasn't been very good this series, so people are going to be extra hard on him.
He’s not 100%. Plus they have screwed up with drafting Harper. They traded for an All-Star guard to be Wembys Sidekick. They had Castle, but now they try to force all three guards to play together and it’s not working that well in some ways. They win sure, but Fox can’t play at his best because he has to defer so much now. They should trade him to another contender who needs a lead guard or decide if they want Harper as Castle’s running mate which makes more sense from a timeline and age perspective. Now salary fit is going to be hard a couple years from now but dumping Fox’s max deal would solve that somewhat.
 
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Smeegs

All-Conference
Nov 19, 2025
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He’s not 100%. Plus they have screwed up with drafting Harper. They traded for an All-Star guard to be Wembys Sidekick. They had Castle, but now they try to force all three guards to play together and it’s not working that well in some ways. They win sure, but Fox can’t play at his best because he has to defer so much now. They should trade him to another contender who needs a lead guard or decide if they want Harper as Castle’s running mate which makes more sense from a timeline and age perspective. Now salary fit is going to be hard a couple years from now but dumping Fox’s max deal would solve that somewhat.
This is a really weirdly worded sentence. Harper has turned out to be a fantastic draft pick. A complete home run. Yet you say they “screwed up” by drafting him?

Huh? Is that really what you meant to say?
 

tcurtis75

Junior
Jul 11, 2024
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Fox is getting heat, rightfully so, but the biggest issue for the Spurs was when they were up big and in the bonus. They continued to jack up 3s. Their coach let a run hit 24-4 before calling timeout. Wemby missed FT in the clutch. I thought Fox got bodied on that block and I’m not sure Castle ever stepped out of bounds on that clutch play. That’s basketball but the entire team and staff melted down. They had the winning play drawn perfect and it was open. KAT tipped the pass and saved the day.
Castle definitely stepped on the base line. That was the right call.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
46,413
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This is a really weirdly worded sentence. Harper has turned out to be a fantastic draft pick. A complete home run. Yet you say they “screwed up” by drafting him?

Huh? Is that really what you meant to say?
Yeah, they screwed up trying to jam three guards into a lineup when they need the ball in their hands. He’s an excellent pick and player. Not the best strategy when they could have drafted someone else to actually fit a need of theirs. Fox needs the ball, he should not be forced to be a complementary player at this stage of his career. Listen to Jeff Teague’s podcast, he talks about this exact issue. It’s stopped his aggression and it’s severely affecting his play. So while he wasn’t a bad pick in a general sense and is a great player I don’t view it as a good pick for what they actually needed for their roster at this time. You shouldn’t draft a guard when you just traded for a guy who is a max player and All-Star caliber player at the same position right before that draft, while just drafting another lottery guard the last draft.
 
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Johnfarrel

All-American
Oct 9, 2001
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Wemby was 3-14 in the 2nd half and bricked two late free throws. Gotta deflect from the golden child, ao Fox is gonna catch heat. In fairness, Fox was bad as well late
Wemby was 3-14 in the 2nd half and bricked two late free throws. Gotta deflect from the golden child, ao Fox is gonna catch heat. In fairness, Fox was bad as well late
I think Wemby wore down. in the second half. He looks like a string bean. Still, it's hard to see how the Spurs could have blown a 20 point lead in the fourth quarter. Pros are not supposed to do that.
 
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Smeegs

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Yeah, they screwed up trying to jam three guards into a lineup when they need the ball in their hands. He’s an excellent pick and player. Not the best strategy when they could have drafted someone else to actually fit a need of theirs. Fox needs the ball, he should be forced to be a complementary player at this stage of his career. Listen to Jeff Teague’s podcast, he talks about this exact issue. It’s stopped his aggression and it’s severely affecting his play.
This is a ridiculous take. Harper was a fantastic draft pick. And the Spurs have had a tremendous season with their current guard construction …winning 62 regular season games and reaching the finals …they’re way ahead of where this group was expected to be by this point. To now claim Harper (who’s clearly a future star) was a “screw up” pick because of one second half meltdown is asinine.

And nobody’s taking the ball out of Fox’s hands. He’s still the only true point guard in their rotation (Harper, Castle and Vassell are true wings) and the lead guard who initiates the offense on most possessions.

The problem is Fox simply hasn’t been doing enough when the ball in his hands. He had a very poor conference finals (although largely because he was coming back from the ankle injury and was clearly not 100%), and right now it’s looking like his Finals performance may end up being most remembered for mistakes. I love Fox, but that ain’t the fault of Harper or anyone else but himself.
 

chroix

Heisman
Jul 22, 2013
10,593
26,794
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It’s funny. I’ve seen a ton of people saying it was a dumb play. In my mind it was almost the perfect play, he just got his shot rejected by OG. If he’d been a fraction of a second earlier he’d have won the game for them. Good instinct. Wemby choked. Fox will take the heat for that.
 

Starrcade

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Jun 4, 2026
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Fox could have redeemed himself and blocked out OG but instead he gave him a free run. He had the perfect angle, but he just stood there like he was rubbernecking a car wreck. And he was.
 

Cats_2010

Heisman
Jan 8, 2010
11,857
20,237
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Very stupid play by Fox.
Didn’t watch the game, but just saw the replay. Disagree it was a dumb play. He had a clear sight to the goal and this play is converted way more times than not. Good play by defense but defense also got away with what could have easily been called a foul. The layup made or even two free throws made doesn’t secure the win. But making a layup vs forced to hit two free throws you take the layup every single time.
 

Smeegs

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Probably but it’s very close and he was definitely pushed out. I say that and I’m rooting for the Knicks.

Well, hey, a tweet by someone named “Spurs Reporter” must be objective, right?

Honestly, if there was a foul there, it would be on Castle for trying to use the elbow to clear space right before he stepped out. Hart is entitled to maintain his defensive position, there’s no reason he needs to give up that baseline. And the offensive player ain’t entitled to use the chicken wing elbow technique to take it from him.
 
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Smeegs

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Fox not even making an effort for a block out or rebound.


Yeah, Fox was actually in better position to get to that ball than Anunoby. But he didn’t even try. Almost like he was still thinking about his screw up a moment earlier at the other end instead focusing on the current moment.

I’m afraid the final minutes of that game are gonna haunt De’Aaron for a looong time.
 
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TigerMoving

Heisman
Jul 13, 2014
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Fox wasn't great but he was not the problem. Him and Wemby were the only starters with positive +/-. Castle and Vassell were -11 and -7. He also made some pretty big 3s. And he got fouled on that final layup, which I think was the right decision since it was basically a break away but I understand taking it out and getting fouled instead. Nothing egregious by him though, the coach and the team as a whole on the otherhand....