How Mitch Johnson defied Gregg Popovich against the Thunder — and won because of it
On Saturday night, The San Antonio Spurs struck your ticket to the final round of the NBA Cup tournament with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas. The game marked Victor Wembanyama’s return to the lineup, albeit on a minutes limit, and also ended the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak.
Late in the game, the Spurs built a three-point lead for most of the final 30 seconds, and instead of letting the Thunder attempt a game-tying three-pointer, San Antonio decided to foul them repeatedly and put Oklahoma City on the line, which ultimately paid dividends.
After the game, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News reported on head coach Mitch Johnson’s thoughts on the matter, especially considering the foul three was never something his former mentor Gregg Popovich was an advocate.
“I just asked Mitch to defy the famous principles of his predecessor and mentor. He laughed and said he thought it was a real show,” Finger reported on Bluesky.
“Should you be wrong three?” The debate is as old as the game of basketball itself (or at least dates back to the institution of the three-point line), and the Spurs worked the strategy to the point Saturday, although they got some help when Chet Holmgren missed a free throw he intended to make, and when Jaylen Williams made a free throw he wanted to miss.
There was also controversy over the final rebound of the game, when Devin Vassell appeared to shove Alex Caruso under the basket and nothing was called.
Either way, the Thunder will face the Spurs two more times in the coming weeks. The first of those matches will take place on Christmas Day in a turbulent environment in Oklahoma City.
2025-12-14 17:11:00
