Ladies and gentlemen, I have it on good authority that after the San Antonio Spurs had a 29-point lead in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, someone popped the champagne (probably Julian Champagnie who only had five points and was 1-7 from the three-point area) and they started celebrating.
29. Twenty. Nine. A seemingly insurmountable lead, yet the biggest one lost in NBA Finals history. The Madison Square Garden was quieter than a library during tax season. So, they started the party. Early.
Wonder no more why they opted to mail it in by shooting threes consecutively and missing them all. After a few cold glasses of champagne, they had no legs to take the rock to the hoop.
Second Half Collapse
It was slow at first. Then the lead started shrinking like my motivation on a Monday morning. By the fourth quarter, the alcohol started kicking in, and the Spurs were playing basketball fundamentally confused about gravity and basic decision-making.
I mean, fellows, I know the threes got you that lead, but at least take some time off the shot clock. I think they shot eight straight threes with zero urgency at all to slow the game down.
I know you are not supposed to play defensive basketball and try to build on your momentum, but with that much of a lead, the shooting was bound to cool down at some point, and the key was finding that sweet spot.
Coaching Blunders
DUMB. The Spurs players collectively played bad in the second half, but that’s why there’s actually a coach on a basketball team. A coach is there to manage how his team is playing and get them to play well by making adjustments.
Sorry, Mitch Johnson. That was awfully dumb of you out there to allow such ineptitude to happen. You could have rested your starters more after they started chucking in blanks. At least your reserves would certainly have played harder, even on defense just to keep the lead.
Fox's Costly Mistakes
DUMBER. Of course, it had to be none other than De’Aaron Fox. Up by 1, with about 12 seconds left, he thought he had a clear path to the basket, despite the fact that OG Anunoby, a 6’8” lockdown wing built like a tank, was hot on his heels.
Instead of safely dribbling it out to run out the clock and probably bait for a foul, he decides to go for a half-assed layup and so OG swats it.
The Knicks recover and in the next possession, Fox again leaves out his man, who was Anunoby, and decides to double team Jalen Brunson who was 30 feet out with Victor Wembanyama on him while trying to shoot a three.
Brunson misses, but the unguarded Anunoby has a clear path to the basket and tips it in with 1.2 seconds left.
They are going to write books and make documentaries about this game, and rightfully so.
I have to give it to the Knicks, who showed heart and determination in clawing back from the brink of death to snatch this victory. But to get this win, the Spurs had to conspire with them with unmatched ineptitude. I also have it on good authority that post-game, Fox was caught googling “how to delete game film from existence.”
LAST ROUND. It’s on Sheila Pavia who celebrates her birthday this week. Cheers!
