Oklahoma City Thunder memimpin 3-2 atas San Antonio Spurs dalam rangkaian final Wilayah Barat NBA menjelang gim keenam yang dijadwalkan berlangsung pada Kamis malam, 28 Mei 2026 waktu setempat di San Antonio.
Kondisi ini menempatkan San Antonio Spurs dalam posisi kritis karena harus memenangkan gim keenam di kandang sendiri demi memaksakan terjadinya gim ketujuh, setelah sebelumnya kalah 127-125 dari Thunder pada gim kelima hari Selasa lalu.
Kekuatan Spurs terganggu oleh cedera pergelangan kaki point guard utama mereka, De'Aaron Fox, yang membatasi performanya dalam tiga laga terakhir setelah sempat absen pada gim pertama dan kedua.
"Look, I know De'Aaron Fox is playing on a high ankle sprain that normally, in the regular season, he's probably sitting (with). He goes four of 15 (in Game 5)." kata Brian Windhorst, jurnalis ESPN dalam The Hoop Collective Podcast.
Analis olahraga Bill Simmons dalam podcast pribadinya juga menyoroti bahwa masalah fisik Fox sangat memengaruhi produktivitas serangan dari skuad asuhan Gregg Popovich tersebut.
"Fox was bad. I think Fox is hurt. I don't feel like he had any lift. They need him. He's the only guy who can take care of the ball." kata Bill Simmons.
Menanggapi penilaian tersebut, mantan pemain NBA Tim Legler yang hadir dalam siniar Bill Simmons turut menyepakati adanya penurunan ketajaman dan kecepatan khas Fox akibat menahan rasa sakit di lapangan.
"He has that next level quickness, and against a team like the Thunder, you really need that. It doesn't quite seem like he's got all of that, and it is what it is. He's gonna play through it, but 33 minutes, 4/15 (shooting), that's not really typical for De'Aaron Fox…I agree with you, I don't think he's right." kata Tim Legler.
Fox sendiri tidak menampik situasi sulit yang dihadapinya pasca-benturan dengan penggawa Thunder, Lu Dort, namun dirinya memilih tetap bermain demi membantu tim yang sedang menghadapi eliminasi.
"Yeah, I mean, it's definitely tough. I feel like (the Dort dive) was a play that could have been avoidable, but it is what it is. Obviously, it is disappointing not being able to be 100 percent. But like I said, I'm able to be out there, so that's all that matters to me right now." kata De'Aaron Fox kepada Sam Amick dari The Athletic.
Pemain berusia 28 tahun itu menegaskan komitmennya untuk terus memperkuat lini belakang Spurs walau kebugarannya belum pulih sepenuhnya.
"I don't feel great, but I'm able to play." kata De'Aaron Fox.
Di kubu lawan, Oklahoma City Thunder sukses mengantisipasi absennya beberapa pilar penyerang melalui kontribusi masif barisan pemain cadangan mereka sepanjang seri final wilayah ini.
"We have good players on our bench. They've got good players on their bench. So, we know that's an area of the game where you can try to find some positive plus-minus time for that group." kata Alex Caruso kepada The Associated Press.
Keberhasilan Thunder mempertahankan keunggulan juga didukung oleh kedisiplinan kolektif para pemainnya, termasuk Chet Holmgren yang meredam ego individu demi pencapaian target juara beruntun tim.
"Ego has been the downfall of many people's careers. I feel like ego gets in the way of maximizing the moment and also understanding. Basically, what you're asking me is, would I trade what we just accomplished last year and the opportunity that we have (this year) and the group that we have? Would I sacrifice that to go be able to shoot 20 shots a game? I don't think so." kata Chet Holmgren kepada Fred Katz dari The Athletic.
