De'Aaron Fox didn't need to go up for the layup or even a dunk. He could've maintained possession of the ball, forcing the New York Knicks to foul him as the final seconds ticked off the clock with the Spurs up by one. Instead, after he chased the deflected ball down in the backcourt, he went up, but was met with an OG Anunoby block. You know what happened after that.
After the game, Fox explained his reasoning behind that decision, saying;
“I just thought I’d be able to outrun him. That’s it.”
Yes, Fox is known for his speed, but he also missed a chunk of time earlier in the playoffs with an ankle sprain. He picked a terrible time to bet on his quickness as is, but against Anunoby, of all people, on his heels. He didn't stand a chance, but for whatever reason, he thought he did. In that moment, he was playing for the Knicks, not the Spurs.
De'Aaron Fox thought he could outrun OG Anunoby
Anunoby had the game of his life, finishing with a playoff career-high 33 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three. He was all over the place.
You'd think that Fox, who is supposed to be the Spurs' leading veteran, would've known better than to challenge any defender in that moment, especially OG with his seven-foot-two wingspan.
It's not like Anunoby came out of nowhere. He was right there at Fox when the guard finally caught up to the ball, so it was clear the guard wasn't going to outrun OG, but he still kept right on going.
There wasn't any reasonable justification Fox could've given as to why that's what he did in that moment, but out of everything he could've said, admitting he thought he could outrun Anunoby at Madison Square Garden in a game where the Knicks had already clawed their way back from a 29-point deficit is quite comical.
If it had happened in, say, game five of 82, okay, but the Spurs' season was on the line. San Antonio could've headed back to Texas with the series tied at 2-2, but Fox's miscalculations led to Anunoby's offensive rebound and game-winning tip-in shot on the other end. It turned into the worst-case scenario, just not for the Knicks.
Fox learned a valuable lesson, and it's that if you're going to bet on yourself, make sure that it's not against OG Anunoby. If he's feeling bold, he can try something like that again in Game 5, though. New York won't object!
Add us as a preferred source on Google