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The San Antonio Spurs face a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 deficit to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals after blowing a 29-point lead in Game 4 at Madison Square.
But rather than changing things up, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson seems prepared to double down on the way he’s coached in the first four games. Specifically, Johnson said he’s going to double down on point guard De’Aaron Fox.
Fox, a two-time All-Star, had a horrendous second half in Game 4, capped by an all-time boneheaded decision late in the game to attempt a layup with the Spurs up one and the shot clock unplugged rather than holding the ball until he was fouled.
Fox’s layup attempt was blocked, and New York went on to win the game on the ensuing possession. But Johnson seemingly has no regrets.
Mitch Johnson Is Happily To Ride With De’Aaron Fox All The Way To A Series Loss
Johnson, Fox, and the rest of the Spurs met with members of the media on Friday ahead of Saturday’s do-or-die matchup with New York in San Antonio.
Johnson was specifically asked if he’d continue to run the late-game offense through Fox, or if rookie Dylan Harper Jr. might get more opportunities, and he was unequivocal in his answer.
Mitch Johnson:
“I don’t get into social media. I think I’ve probably been fired 212 times, and we’ve traded Fox 72 times … People have their opinions. I don’t care … De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow.”pic.twitter.com/CrR5TshJaU
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 12, 2026
“I don’t really get into social media. I’ve probably been fired 212 times, and we’ve probably traded [De’Aaron] Fox 72 times,” Johnson said. “…People have their opinions. I don’t care. De’Aaron Fox will have the ball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow.”
On one hand, you can’t expect Johnson to throw his player under the bus publicly. But he also didn’t need to completely ignore Fox’s horrific second half. Meanwhile, it appears that Fox himself feels the same way.