Mitch Johnson doubles down on massive mistake costing the Spurs a championship

As the San Antonio Spurs look to bounce back from a disastrous Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Coach Mitch Johnson is doubling down on a huge mistake. Johnson came under fire for his coaching in Game 4, in which his team gave up a 29-point lead.

Johnson was criticized for his handling of his team in the second half, including relying heavily on De'Aaron Fox. Fox was in the midst of a miserable fourth quarter, but Johnson kept with him and shares the blame for San Antonio choking.

One would think that he'd learn his lesson and pivot away from Fox. Instead, going with Dylan Harper, who is vastly outplaying Fox. Nevertheless, Johnson's comments paint a far different picture.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson is doubling down on a massive mistake

It's one thing to rely on a veteran point guard to get good shots down the stretch. However, Fox has often been a disaster in the clutch this season, especially in the playoffs.

That flies in the face of him winning Clutch Player of the Year just 3 years ago. It's hard to understate how much of a tire fire he was in Game 4 when the Spurs needed him the most.

The simple solution would be to bench Fox and start Harper for the rest of the series. At least that way, San Antonio is putting its best foot forward and giving Harper a chance to shine.

After all, he has been stellar against the Knicks and is looking more and more like a star. Contrast that with Fox, who is dangerously close to having his star status revoked.

Dylan Harper must start Game 5 for the Spurs

Thus far, Harper is averaging 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 31 minutes against the Knicks this series. Compare that to Fox, who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 assists in 36.5 minutes.

The biggest difference is that Harper has a terrific 57.2% true shooting compared to Fox's 48% true shooting. It's fair to wonder how much better off the Spurs would be with Harper playing over Fox. Using net rating, we have at least some indication.

Harper has a +12.7 net rating, 4.2 points better than Fox, and is second only to Victor Wembanyama in that stat in the playoffs. Simply playing him more might be enough to turn several close losses into wins. With the Spurs in a huge hole, Johnson needs to try something different, and starting Harper over Fox is the obvious choice.

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