Following a heartbreaking, error-strewn Game 4 collapse that allowed the New York Knicks to steal a pivotal win, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson went to war for De’Aaron Fox in Friday’s press conference, Yankee Scores reports.
Johnson made his feelings clear about beleaguered point guard De’Aaron Fox during the Spurs’ press conference on Friday following his poor showing in Spurs’ defeat against the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
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 get into social media,” Johnson said. “I think I’ve been fired 212 times, and we’ve traded Fox 72 times. People have their opinions. I don’t care. I care what the people that matter in our building, our organization, in that locker room, that they know how I feel.
De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he’s going to deliver like he’s done countless times for us.”
Anatomy of a Thirteen-Second Final Quarter Meltdown
Fox made 1-of-5 shooting in the key final quarter and recorded four giveaways, the most of any player on the floor for either team. With only 13.1 seconds remaining in the game and his team ahead by just a single point, Fox raced to the basket on what looked to be an easy score to take the Spurs’ advantage to three points.
Instead, Anunoby closed fast on him and denied the attempted layup. The sequence set up Anunoby’s winning tip. However, Fox could easily have avoided all of that by waiting to be fouled so he could shoot free throws.
This does not shake Fox in the least bit.
“It’s not like people have my phone number and can call me,” Fox said smiling. “I don’t watch those shows. It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. Can’t change it now. It is what it is. We’re trying to move on from that, continue to learn from the mistakes we made, how we lost the lead, finished the game poorly. We think about the next game.”
Spurs didn’t train Friday, but the team had a film session before the media availability.
Pressure on the Rim
“Just not executing [is what we saw on the film],” Spurs forward Devin Vassell told ESPN. “There were a lot of defensive mistakes that we made, just not communicating. Then, offensively, just staying in our game plan and not steering away from it. We got some good looks. But with our guards, with Fox and Steph [Castle] just putting pressure on the rim, we feel like when we put pressure on the rim it opens up everything. We’ll be all right.”
