If OG Anunoby's miraculous putback of Jalen Brunson's long three is the Hand of God, maybe the play before it was the Brain of Squirrel. It was San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox, currently finishing up his ninth year in the NBA, who made a pre-rookie mistake that allowed the New York Knicks the chance to take the 3-1 series lead.
With under 20 seconds to go and the Spurs up one, a Brunson drive to the hoop led to a loose ball off the backboard. It was Fox, heroically, who tipped the ball past the last Knicks defender and chased it down in the Spurs' end. Basketball convention dictates that you play it safe and wait to be fouled, to take more time off the clock and go to the line to extend the lead. However, Fox decided that the layup would be more automatic than the free throws, and Anunoby made a play that you can add to the list of legendary NBA Finals blocks. No foul, no points, Knicks ball.
"I just thought I'd be able to outrun him," the 28-year-old Fox said after the game. "That’s it."
No one blows a 29-point lead without a whole lot of people making a whole bunch of mistakes, miscues, and just plain misses. But if the Knicks go on to win this title, it'll be Fox who carries the burden of the screwup that most will remember. Charles Barkley made sure of that in the postgame, when he called Fox "De'Andre" and then declared, "That was a dumbass play."
Fox, who's been nursing an ankle injury, has clearly been off his game. But this isn't the kind of play you make with your legs; it's one you make with your head. All he needed to do was stay calm and do the smart and safe thing.
The J.R. Smith–like drama of this sequence lends itself to a few easy coaching lessons. Know the situation. Avoid leaving a crack in the door. But above all else: Trying to be the hero is the fastest way to become the villain.
