NBA Games Discussion Thread - Part 6

[AFM]

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[FAH1223]

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[Kanyewest]

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Interesting, the elite defensive role players are the ones who deliver championships.

Don’t forget Wizards preseason legend Dillon Jones.

Plus Jordan Clarkson for "cash considerations"'.

[Kanyewest]

Looks like Fox couldn't respond to an especially poor performance in game 4. He entered that game with a 48 TS% but somehow managed to lower that by 5 more percentage points with his performance in game 5. That being said, he was dealing with a high ankle sprain plus the Knicks defense also did a good job slowing down Mitchell, Maxey, Harden, and CJ McCollum post game 3 (41 TS% when the Knicks in games 4-6).

I don't think Fox deserved to be on the all star team but there is a chance he can improve upon this postseason experience and I agree that he's overpaid. He only had 1 round of playoff experience coming into the season coming into this. He had a decent performance in game 7. But maybe there's a chance he can improve going forward with better health, better play from Wemby. But yeah looks like Harper should be starting going forward/or at least the Spurs should run more offense through him next season like Manu.

[Kanyewest]

Great performance from the Knicks they proven a lot of doubters wrong including the false narratives of Brunson not being worth his contract, not being a 1a, a team only built for regular season success, and a team unable to play good defense with Brunson/KAT, Bridges not being worth the picks. Brown did a better job developing the bench than Thibs, who learned too late in the Pacers season last season to start trusting his bench and ended up getting fired.

Mental toughness of the team is at another level right now with their ability to overcome deficits and maintain consistency. It will be interesting to see how much they can maintain the focus next season. But even so, they put together arguably one of the best postseason runs by record and point differential (15-3 with 9 straight road wins, and 15-1 after starting 1-2).

Shoutout again to Ruzious for calling on the Wizards to draft all the Nova guys in 2018 as well as Hart in 2016. Crazy that most of the Nova guys - Brunson, Hart, Divincenzo, Bridges, and Gillespie from those national championship teams have each won a NBA ring(although Donte and Collin were both injured).

[payitforward]

Shoutout again to Ruzious ....

I think of him often & wonder what became of him after a stroke caused him to leave our board. I worry that he might have died.

A good guy & a great member of our community over many years. I miss him.

[FAH1223]

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[closg00]

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Group think, always be aware of group think, group think is what hoisted Zaccharie Risacher to #1.

[Rafael122]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

[nate33]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

It's nearly impossible to move Fox right now. Nobody is going to take him on with a contract that costs $56M a year for 4 more years. They will have to include a bunch of picks to offload him, at least right now in the aftermath of his playoff collapse.

Fox will have to stay. They just have to move him to 6th man. It'll be fine. He's still a useful NBA player and should be great in a 6th man role. In two years, when his contract is shorter and memories of faded, they should be able to move him in time to clear cap room to extend Castle and Harper.

San Antonio is way ahead of schedule. They don't need to do much of anything except wait while Wemby, Harper and Castle get even better. The one move they ought to consider is to package Keldon Johnson's contract with some future pick capital and try to upgrade the PF position. Maybe work out a S&T with Houston for Tari Eason?

[Kanyewest]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

Looks like Fox would have to turn into a hall of fame caliber player given the guys on the list who struggled their first finals but rebounded.

- LeBron James - 2007 Finals - 42.8 TS%
- Jason Tatum - 2022 Finals - 48.1 TS%
- Kobe Bryant - 2004 Finals - 45.6 TS%
- Dennis Johnson - 1978 Finals - went 0-14 in game 7 against the Bullets- ended up winning Finals MVP the following season.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

It's nearly impossible to move Fox right now. Nobody is going to take him on with a contract that costs $56M a year for 4 more years. They will have to include a bunch of picks to offload him, at least right now in the aftermath of his playoff collapse.

Fox will have to stay. They just have to move him to 6th man. It'll be fine. He's still a useful NBA player and should be great in a 6th man role. In two years, when his contract is shorter and memories of faded, they should be able to move him in time to clear cap room to extend Castle and Harper.

San Antonio is way ahead of schedule. They don't need to do much of anything except wait while Wemby, Harper and Castle get even better. The one move they ought to consider is to package Keldon Johnson's contract with some future pick capital and try to upgrade the PF position. Maybe work out a S&T with Houston for Tari Eason?

Like Trae Young and Chet Holmgren, I think D'Aaron Fox is likely to redeem himself somewhat. I hope so, anyway. He needs to embrace a team-first role off the bench. Blind and dead Ray Charles can see that Dylan Harper is more than a little better. Fox is lucky he's got his bag. Until a trade inevitably comes, he has to play happy camper.

Heaven knows he's getting beat up in the media.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De'Aaron_Fox

In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Fox held the ball in a runout while the Spurs held a 106–105 lead. However, rather than dribbling out the clock as was expected, Fox attempted a layup, which was blocked by OG Anunoby, allowing the New York Knicks to gain possession. After a missed 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson, Anunoby achieved a game-winning tip-in to win the game, 107–106, and give the Knicks a 3–1 series lead over the Spurs.[49] The Spurs ultimately lost the series 4–1 to the Knicks.[50] Fox was heavily criticized by fans and the media for his performance in the series, especially in Game 4,[51][52] averaging 12.8 points while shooting 34.4% from the field and 25% from the three-point line.[53]

Sources:

49
Wright, Michael (June 13, 2026). "Wembanyama, Spurs resolute after Game 4 collapse to Knicks". espn.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
50
Lambert, Ben (June 13, 2026). "Recap: Knicks win the 2026 NBA championship, defeating Spurs in five games". NBA.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
51
read, Rick Tidoy·2 min (June 11, 2026). ""I'm Disgusted RN!": Micah Parsons Doesn't Hold Back After De'Aaron Fox's Crucial Finals Blunder". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
52
Zucker, Joseph. "De'Aaron Fox Reacts to Loss as Fans Troll Stats vs. Knicks Before $228.6M Spurs Contract Extension". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
53
"Spurs' De'Aaron Fox: Offensive nightmare in Finals loss". CBS Sports. June 15, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.


I think life will be hard for Fox's family at Spurs games like it became for Bradley Beal's family at Suns games. Fans are going to be abusive.

I hope he doesn't melt down like Bill Buckner. I hope his spouse and family are supportive and he stays level.

[montestewart]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

Looks like Fox would have to turn into a hall of fame caliber player given the guys on the list who struggled their first finals but rebounded.

- LeBron James - 2007 Finals - 42.8 TS%
- Jason Tatum - 2022 Finals - 48.1 TS%
- Kobe Bryant - 2004 Finals - 45.6 TS%
- Dennis Johnson - 1978 Finals - went 0-14 in game 7 against the Bullets- ended up winning Finals MVP the following season.

That doesn't look like Kobe's first Finals, and those players were significantly younger than Fox. I could see him transforming in an off the bench role, but not as a max alpha who's pretty set in his skills, role, and ways. The Beal comparison makes sense.

[Kanyewest]

Sam Vecceine says Fox was significantly slower from his perspective from the high ankle sprain he suffered in game 6 against the Timberwolves. Maybe he will be fine if he is healthy plus he has more experience. He may not be worth the salary but the Spurs still seem to have a lot of cap flexibility for the next 2 years.

[Kanyewest]

Worse thing Spurs can do is bring the same team back and expect things to change. Fox clearly needs to go. So do you use this as an opportunity to trade him and Bryant to the Bucks for Giannis for example? Porzingis makes a ton of sense for them as a guy that can step out and shoot and give you 20 minutes a game.

Looks like Fox would have to turn into a hall of fame caliber player given the guys on the list who struggled their first finals but rebounded.

- LeBron James - 2007 Finals - 42.8 TS%
- Jason Tatum - 2022 Finals - 48.1 TS%
- Kobe Bryant - 2004 Finals - 45.6 TS%
- Dennis Johnson - 1978 Finals - went 0-14 in game 7 against the Bullets- ended up winning Finals MVP the following season.

That doesn't look like Kobe's first Finals, and those players were significantly younger than Fox. I could see him transforming in an off the bench role, but not as a max alpha who's pretty set in his skills, role, and ways. The Beal comparison makes sense.

Beal averages 23.5 ppg with a 53.5 TS%. Could be doable for Fox if he can get back to full health and recover mentally although the competition from his teammates improving may limit his volume.

[closg00]

You can succeed with “short” PG, you just have to have the right one.

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[closg00]

Wrong threads

[Kanyewest]

Landry Shamet was taken ahead of Jalen Brunson.... what....

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Congrats to the Knicks. Gives me hope that a team can overcome poor ownership and an extended period of Grundle as GM and compete for a champtionship - eventually. We got a chance!!

The Wizards needs to bring back Ernie. Eddie Jordan, also. Those guys should be our Patrick Ewings. Randy Wittman and John Wall need to be always welcomed.

Okay, burn a little of that Donald Trump sage before they enter Verizon, just to make sure Grunfeld brings none of his stank, bad, juju.

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