Spurs' Fox Could Be X-Factor in Game 2 Against Thunder, But Will He Play?

OKLAHOMA CITY -- De'Aaron Fox missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with a sore right ankle, and the Spurs list him as questionable for Game 2.

If he plays, the All-Star point guard could be an X-factor for a San Antonio team that saw the youngest starting lineup ever in the Conference Finals play an average of 48 minutes in the double-overtime thriller.

The plan for everyone else on the day off is to watch film and rest up, and that's it. If Fox is able to get right before Wednesday night's tilt, he'll be the only guy on the floor with fresh legs.

Even though he was on the sideline in street clothes, he made an impact as a leader and a coach of sorts during the epic duel that the Spurs wound up winning.

“It matters a lot. He sees a lot as a point guard," said Victor Wembanyama, who put up one of the most insane Conference Finals debuts of all time. "His guidance with the young guys is just great. I knew they were going to have his back.”

“He was great on the bench. He was continually giving guys direction," coach Mitch Johnson said. "When you have someone who’s used to playing with these guys, and in the fight, to have that perspective is really helpful.”

As helpful as Fox's insight might have been, his steady hand and speedy playmaking were missed sorely by San Antonio in some obvious ways. The Thunder's ball-pressuring defense caused serious problems for second-year star Stephon Castle, who finished scored 17 points on 5-14 shooting to go with 11 assists and 11 turnovers.

Castle has developed into quite a playmaker, but there are some moments where his inexperience shows. Having Fox out there on the court with him has allowed them both to play with and without the ball in their hands. Each one can make a play for the other and act as a pressure release valve, and the Spurs' team offense becomes much more dangerous from way more angles when there are three high-level playmakers in the rotation and two on the court always. The Thunder have plenty of talented point-of-attack defenders, and giving them as many problems to deal with is a huge advantage for the Spurs.

"At all times we have two of us out there, and we're all able to play off of one another," Fox said in Minnesota. "We can all get to the basket, we all make our open shots, we facilitate for each other and other and other guys on the court, it just adds the dynamic of our team... Sometimes you play a team and they have one ball handler, and we're able to wear that guy down, and it makes it hard for that team. With us having three of them, it makes it pretty easy. We can take the pressure off of each other, we can try to take the pressure off Vic as well."

The third head of San Antonio's monstrous guard trio is Dylan Harper, who learned he'd make his first playoff start about an hour before Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tipped. His absurd stat line of 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals reflected how he flew around the court and impacted the game in every conceivable way.

"Moments like this, just being around two great point guards in Steph and Fox, and kind of just picking their brains. Earlier in the season, when everyone kind of didn't see the vision, I kind of saw to double down on it. Just wanting to win, I've never been in this position, but you got to embrace a position like this if you want to help the team."

Before the Spurs started their season with Harper in the fold, many questioned if the roster made sense with three downhill guards. After 62 regular season wins, two playoff series wins, and a Game 1 victory in Oklahoma City that shocked the world but also not really, it's become clear that San Antonio's glut of playmaking talent is a strength.

That strength has allowed the Spurs to succeed even when some guys are hurt and others step up. When they're fully healthy, they're almost unstoppable.

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