{"id":1218,"date":"2026-06-04T15:39:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1218"},"modified":"2026-06-04T15:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:39:51","slug":"the-curious-coaching-decision-that-burned-spurs-in-late-game-1-meltdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1218","title":{"rendered":"The curious coaching decision that burned Spurs in late Game 1 meltdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the Spurs desperately needed a second consistent scorer to emerge down the stretch in Game 1, Dylan Harper instead sat on the bench.<\/p>\n

Read more John Bolton set to plead guilty in classified documents case: report<\/a><\/p>\n

The rookie star out of Rutgers shined in his Finals debut, scoring 16 points in 27 minutes, yet coach Mitch Johnson only used him for 3:33 in the fateful fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Johnson instead relied on inconsistent veteran De\u2019Aaron Fox, who did not score in his 10:57 in the period in the Knicks\u2019 eventual 105-95 road win.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not an easy call to shake up the lineup, especially in the Finals, but the great coaches manage to find ways to utilize their best lineups without ruining team harmony.<\/p>\n

Harper only started four games during the regular season and two of the team\u2019s 19 contests this postseason, yet one could argue he was the Spurs\u2019 second-best player Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including eight rebounds.<\/p>\n

Harper did score 12 of those points in the first half before tallying just four in his final 11:19 in the second half, but Fox certainly did not fare better. <\/p>\n

Johnson relied too much on the banged-up veteran and it backfired, with Fox scoring just three points in 20:32 in the second half and seven total points in 38 minutes.<\/p>\n

Harper\u2019s only burn in the fourth quarter came in the middle-third of the stanza, with the guard entering a tie game with 7:37 remaining and exiting with the Spurs trailing by four.<\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner gives flimsy excuse to Dem senators pressing him about skeletons in the closet during high-stakes meeting: report<\/a><\/p>\n

He did make a critical turnover in that stretch, but did not attempt a shot.<\/p>\n

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Harper\u2019s shotmaking and rebounding could have been used, though, especially since all other Spurs not named Victor Wembanyama combined for eight points in the fourth quarter. <\/p>\n

Devin Vassell shot just 1-for-4 in the quarter, Julian Champagnie \u2014 who had a sizzling start from 3-point land \u2014\u00a0missed both of his shots and Fox came up empty on his two attempts.<\/p>\n

Fox does provide a critical skill in running the offense, but he did little to help San Antonio while the team blew a 14-point third-quarter lead.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Harper\u2019s rebounding could have been used on the critical offensive board by the Knicks that led to Jalen Brunson\u2019s go-ahead 3-pointer in the final two minutes.<\/p>\n

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Whether Johnson adjusts his lineup to ride the proverbial hot hand down the stretch going forward could matter against a Knicks team that has now won 12 games and has played well in the final 12 minutes.<\/p>\n

Read more Knicks open as big underdogs in Game 2 of NBA Finals after upset win vs. Spurs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the Spurs desperately needed a second consistent scorer to emerge down the stretch in Game 1, Dylan Harper instead sat on the bench.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,63,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-nba-finals","category-new-york-knicks"],"yoast_head":"\nThe curious coaching decision that burned Spurs in late Game 1 meltdown - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1218\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The curious coaching decision that burned Spurs in late Game 1 meltdown - 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