The Spurs had a Mitch Johnson problem that cost them against Rockets

Mitch Johnson has been tremendous for the Spurs this season. They don't make it to the second seed in the Western Conference without his stewardship, but that doesn't make him above reproach. His inaction in the second half of the Rockets game was a major contributing factor to their loss on the first night of the NBA's Rivals Week, and just as the players will be called out for their collapse, so will the coach.

Johnson spoke about the effort and lack of toughness from his squad after the game, and he has fair points there, but why couldn't he pull that out of them while it was happening as victory hung in the balance? Smart rotations, strategy, and forcefulness from the leader of the team all fell by the wayside as Houston mounted their comeback,

That is a coaching issue. You didn't see Tari Eason attempting step-back jumpers, or the Rockets falling into a nine-possession stretch of nothing but three-point attempts. The way this game was lost was completely avoidable, so let's get into more details as to why.

Johnson must take control of the game when it's slipping away

That nine-possession stretch comment was not offhand. The Spurs actually did that. If you track their shots from the end of the third quarter through the first few minutes of the fourth, it stands out like a sore thumb. There were terrible decisions from the players all around that fell back on coaching, and Mitch has to take accountability for that.

The Silver and Black were up 12 points with less than a minute to go in the third quarter, and after Keldon Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound with 49 seconds on the clock, De'Aaron Fox bricked a quick pull-up three by the 42-second mark. That gave Houston the choice to play 2-for-1, and they cashed in on the first shot.

Now it's only a 10-point game, and they have a chance for single digits before the fourth quarter even begins. That's poor game management from the players, but slowing down is something that should be communicated from the bench. San Antonio got another shot but missed another 3-point attempt, and thankfully, Houston couldn't score on their last possession, so it seemed fine. It wasn't.

When the fourth quarter begins, the Spurs proceed to shoot and miss seven straight threes, while the Rockets are getting whatever shot they want to cut the lead down. Johnson's team didn't even attempt a shot in the paint until Stephon Castle's missed midrange jumpshot at the 8:43 mark in the fourth quarter.

One of the more frustrating parts is that he called a timeout after fewer than two minutes into the final period, and I don't know what he said to them, but it clearly wasn't to stop shooting threes, because they shot three more of them before the aforementioned Castle attempt. By that time, it was a one-point game, and Houston had all the momentum.

Dylan Harper should have gotten more time late

Castle isn't a longtime veteran who's earned the right to play through all of his struggles when games hang in the balance. Mitch has already shown a willingness to bench him when he's not at his best, opting to go with Dylan Harper instead. The 2025 second-overall pick was the only player to make more than one field goal in the fourth quarter, except for Keldon Johnson. They had two apiece.

But where was Harper at the end of the game? On the bench. He entered the game with 7:30 to go and made two big buckets while he was in the game. Coach Johnson took him out with 3:32 left while the Spurs still barely clung to the lead, rolling with Fox and Castle, who were 2/8 and 3/11, respectively, in the second half. The team only made one more shot that actually mattered after that.

Yes, it was the second night of a back-to-back, and the guys looked like they lost their focus late. That's where you need the coach to get everyone back on the same page, to pull that will from a deep place when fatigue is trying to block your path. Coach Pop was famous for using quick timeouts to berate his team, even if he just used one.

That's the type of fire Spurs fans are used to, and Mitch's nonchalant style seems to lean into letting the guys try to figure it out at times when guidance is needed. That needs to be corrected.