Dylan Harper delivered a sensational performance in his NBA Finals debut, but he was nowhere to be seen down the stretch for the Spurs in the past Game 1 loss.
Mitch Johnson fully stood by his choice to bench Dylan Harper in the crunch time of the San Antonio Spurs' Game 1 loss in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.
San Antonio Spurs / Schedule
While he acknowledged that he considered inserting Harper into the game, Johnson made it clear that the decision was entirely his own.
“There was definitely consideration. Dylan had a heck of a game and was playing very well, and that comes with when you have a lot of good players, those decisions," Johnson told reporters Thursday.
"And so Dylan did not finish the game by nothing that he did or did not do, and it was a decision I made. And I understand there would be logic in having Dylan in that group, but I thought that group that out was there did some things during the stretch, and that’s what I rolled with.”
Harper appeared unfazed by pressure and the bright lights of the NBA Finals, as the promising rookie delivered a historical 16-point performance in his championship debut. He instantly erupted for 10 points in just his first six minutes of the game.
But when it mattered the most, Harper was suddenly nowhere to be seen for San Antonio. Johnson favored De'Aaron Fox, who struggled with a brutal seven-point performance, to close it out in the final four minutes of the game.
In the end, the Spurs suffered from a rapid 11-0 run by the Knicks in the final two minutes, subsequently enduring a rough 105-95 finish.
All eyes are on how Johnson will adjust for the must-win Game 2 on Friday, and whether he will finally consider the reigning No. 2 pick to be a part of the Spurs' closing group.
Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.
If you like our content, please click here and add us as your preferred source. It helps us a lot, and we are committed to delivering you the very latest basketball news.