[Lowlight] Wemby passes to Castle, who is not looking, for a crucial turnover, then fouls Brunson
Genuine JR Smith moment here
Worst part is even if you give up the awful turnover you don’t have to foul. Horrible horrible horrible
Also you have a timeout just advance the ball for the final shot.
This is also why you don’t stupidly use the “foul to give” just seconds earlier either. There really was no need. We wouldn’t have been in the bonus without that earlier intentional foul.
Yeah, that didn’t make sense in that situation. Knicks didn’t have an advantage or anything. He just fouled to use up their extra foul…
Watching it live I assumed Mitch said that if your guy gets by you, foul him
Which is an instruction that makes perfect sense
I thought Castle fouled because Brunson got past him
I feel like he was already being very aggressive defensively on Brunson. He was planning to foul him no matter what
Yeah you’re probably right, I assume the instruction was be very aggressive to try and get a steal because they have a foul a to give. Didn’t pan out but I don’t hate the plan personally
Thank you! Thats been prevailing wisdom for so long and I hate it. I get how good nba players are offensively but fouling just to foul is just stupid.
I think there’s an element of “we can see what play they called” and then you’re either more ready for it or they have to go to a b-plan. I don’t love it overall though
foul was the worst part
Knicks were not scoring to end the game. this was going to OT with San Antonio on a huge run. threw the whole game
Sry but that’s an insane take.
You don’t think the Knicks had a chance of scoring with 9 seconds left and the ball in Brunson’s hands?
The turnover was by far the worst part.
It is literally never a winning proposition to foul in a tie game. If players could guarantee two free throws instead of a chance at a bucket they would do it every single play.
Why is everyone acting like Wemby wanted to foul? He couldn’t stop his forward momentum in time and barreled into Brunson. The frustration/disappointment over the huge mistake he just made obviously didn’t help.
Our offense was out of sorts the whole 4th. It was absolutely the wrong move to foul.
Yeah that was just pure frustration. Gotta stay cool in the clutch.
Spurs gonna be scary as hell in the future considering how young they are and how much experience they’re getting.
You say that (and I do, too) but after watching what happened with Russ-KD-Harden OKC. That is for me the biggest difference between San Antonio and New York. The Knicks really understand it.
Harper is the key. If Harper becomes a superstar and Wemby stays healthy they win with even just a decent defense shooting roster.
the youth, inexperience.
Is this what they talk about all the time. The spurs have growing up to do and wemby needs to get stronger.
It wasn’t long ago when Kat was getting bodied by boogie cousins. Now he is big and bodies wemby.
All the Knicks players have gone through difficult times. They’ve been doubted and insulted and written off, especially KAT. It made them stronger. Wemby and San Antonio have to experience that before they can win.
They prob didnt want to call timeout cuz then we would take Brunson off the court and they were abusing him
This is definitely inexperience rearing its head. This reminded me of the Rockets-Series first round series when they blew the big 4th quarter lead. It was almost the same left sideline pass to the receiver not looking
crazy thing was that castle was making eye contact with wemby up until the exact moment that wemby started trying to pass the ball
I think he expected Wemby to give him the ball, but after two seconds he figured Wemby was going to take it up himself?
That’s what I’m thinking.
Spurs guards are used to Wemby bringing the ball up, but Wemby probably wanted to play it safe after what happened at the end of Game 1.
wemby also makes the outlet a lot, castle made a bold assumption at the wrong time
Two young players on the wrong page at one of the worst times.
I think what happened is this and they expected Mitch Johnson to make a timeout. It did not happen. This is why you should not be cute with your timeouts.
Damn your right
Damn you’re right about the other guy being right
but not right about the choice of your vs you’re. which just cost me everything i have
Nah you can’t put that on Castle, he knows Brunson is right in his path.
Bad pass, bad choice to not call a TO.
Holy shit! Castle actually looked at Vic before turning around the fuck
Still a really really bad decision to pass even if Castle were to receive it since Jalen is like right there
That’s what I don’t understand why people are ignoring. The pass was a bad decision even if Castle saw it coming, that’s the type of pass that gets turned over countless times in games when the defender is there literally waiting for it
Wemby playing rest of the finals with a broken hand
Chris webber timeout type shit gaaaahdamn that was bad lol
Honestly they needed Chris Webber there because calling a timeout was the right move
Genuinely moronic from Wemby, absolutely choked on the biggest stage
Nah dude, Castle is the pg, that’s on him.
It’s on Mitch for not calling a timeout. You can guarantee last shot and worst case overtime. Horrible coaching blunder
Yeah, I am a bit perplexed. He was making eye-contact and of course his C is going to pass off the ball instead of dribble it up the court. He just was too eager to get on offense.
Feel like it’s just unlucky, Castle looks away at almost the exact moment Wemby starts to pass. If he turns a quarter second later he notices, quarter second earlier Wemby doesn’t pass.
This might be even worse, absolute brain fade.
Absolutely no way it’s worse than forgetting the score and running out the clock, even with Wemby’s foul afterwards.
who is JR Smith in this situation lol
Unbelievable fuck up
As a neutral watching this finals, this one hurt while watching, ouch.
I screamed “oh nooooo” and my wife asked why I was rooting for the spurs. I’m not, it was just so sad.
genuine hands over mouth moment
I audibly gasped
yeah i cringed. definitely a youth moment there
As a staunch Spurs hater I came
Same
I shot ropes all over my ceiling
I’m literally rooting for NYC and that was still an audible “Oh noooo” moment for me.
As a non neutral, that one made me very happy
Will haunt wemby
Gotta feel bad for him. He wants it so bad. Consolation is that it’s not over yet and Spurs core is young as hell.
Spurs gonna lose then he’s going to go be a monk in the offseason and then they’ll probably win the next 5 championships lol this is his hardship
That slow motion camera zoom in on Wemby pouting after the play ends was cinema
Absolute French Cinema, Goddard couldn’t have done it any better himself.
Truffaut said Wemby’s folly in replay is human nature unmasked
DANHAUSEN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!
Castle kinda fucked up too. At the start he was looking at Wemby and I think Wemby took that as being ready to receive a pass.
What do you mean kinda, his dumbass should be getting the ball out of Wembys hands
Absolute drama. Wemby not sleeping tonight.
No he has blue glasses.
wearing blue light glasses and knocking down bottles of gatorade while wearing a throbe
He’s gonna be replaying this one in his head forever. That has to hurt.
That and that final shot miss.
If they lose the series he’s gonna having flashbacks for the next year
You have 2 days the let that shit run in your mind. Time to tighten up, focus, and make better plays!
It’s gonna be a nightmare, MSG is gonna go CRAZY
all time fumble holy shit
Fumble by the coach as well. Young coach and young team.
Pop will make him wear a vibrating butt plug to signal timeouts.
Didn’t realize Hans Niemann coached the Spurs now.
Agreed. I like Mitch Johnson, but he didn’t manage this game well at all. At no point did I think the Spurs were winning this game.
Cmon. Spurs scored 14 straight in the 4th, tie the game, and you never thought they were gonna win? They have the ball and can take the last shot (before the pass) here.
There’s absolutely zero reason not to call a timeout there.
Even if you have an advantage in transition, the shot clock is off. Holding the ball for the final shot is drastically better than going for a quick bucket and ensuring the Knicks get the ball back make or miss.
Teams don’t skip the timeout solely to get a quick bucket, this was done so the defense can’t get set. The idea is so Knicks can’t get in a defensive lineup, coach can’t set up a defensive plan, and spurs might catch them in a scramble or mismatch they like
In hindsight holy shit major fuckup
Maybe he’s not better than prime Jordan and Lebron just yet
No shit lmao
That’s the joke..
He’s not even better than early career LeBron/MJ. Half of this guy’s ability is converting his vertical advantage. Can we stop pretending this guy is some otherworldly talent beyond height.
And half of Lebron’s talent was using his otherworldly athleticism and strength to bully teams. Height and athleticism are talents in basketball and saying otherwise is asinine
Holy shit this might be series altering
Reminds me of the gifs where Curry does the behind the back pass out of bounds where the ball is replaced with the trophy. Probably going to see same with this
https://media1.tenor.com/m/1kr_BbBgxnUAAAAC/steph-curry-pass.gif
For the uninitiated.
What year was this?
5 minutes left in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.
Holy fuck that was a DECADE ago?!?!?!
Do me a favor and go back and watch highlights of that game seven. It’s shocking how much younger everyone looks. I felt so fucking old when I watched it a few months back
COVID really ruined my sense of time damn.
2016 of course
they’re playing the Cavs and the meme is about curry throwing the trophy away 💀
This has always been so fucking great
We need u/sim888 to come back!
haha, igotchu!
https://i.imgur.com/Ti55U7i.gifv
He lives on in our hearts
Again, u/sim888 is very much alive
He’s up there with MrSunsFan
MrSunsFan is in hell
He’s in his 50s and lives in tampa!
I can still hear his voice sometimes…gone too soon…
Might? This is series ending. Spurs couldn’t get a W in their homecourt and have to go into MSG down 0-2 and no team that has given away home court advantage and gone down 0-2 in the Finals has ever won.
Also I feel like this is the second time this postseason Mitch where Mitch should’ve called a timeout instantly after a rebound like that, first one was in the TWolves series where they at least got a Champagnie shot off but this he should’ve called a TO it’s too crucial the worst case it go to OT, gotta call that to get a better play called especially when it’s a must win game.
Yeah even if you break even in NY you’re down 3-1 to a good Knicks team. Tough
While I would not rule out the Spurs winning both games in NY, I absolutely don’t foresee them suddenly rebounding enough to win 4 out of 5 games.
I mean, it was. With how bad the Knicks had been shooting in those last 6 minutes, you gifted them another possession and FTs. You simply hold onto that ball, you have 10 seconds left and a timeout. Colossal fuckup by Wemby and Castle.
Yep and Knicks will likely sweep
Pretty safe to say this series is over, lol.
Could have just kept the ball and called timeout
All these comments arguing whether it’s Wemby or Castles fault all ignoring the fact that the fucking coach should have called a timeout
And let the Knicks set their defense plus get their defensive subs in? I love Wemby man but you can’t blame anyone else
Yeah, can at least run the clock down and worst case scenario you go into OT with a Knicks team in foul trouble
I love how all the Wemby stans are blaming Mitch as if Wemby couldn’t have just called the timeout himself. It’s also not that uncommon for coaches to avoid the timeout and try to get the game-winning shot in transition. And even if the turnover wasn’t completely Wemby’s fault (it was partially on Castle), pushing Brunson out of bounds was just a boneheaded play.
Wemby has become the new Jokic on Reddit. He’s infallible.
Yes. Worst case scenario you miss the last shot and go to OT instead of this
Fr man all the hype around him is making people forget how young he is, he’s gonna make a few colossal fuck ups, the goat status falls on whether or not he learns from them
Uh…yeah exactly that. You make it after draining clock, you win. Worst case, its OT. Gambling on a fast break with a chance to go down 0-2 before going to NY? Nah, TO, Pop is going to have some words.
solid jr smith impression
Seriously cost the spurs a greater chance to win. Although jr smiths blunder was way worse looking.
Seriously cost the spurs a greater chance to win.
Hot take! 🔥
Nah this one was worse. He made 3 blunders in the span of 10 seconds.
He passed while a teammate wasn’t looking so they lose possession. Fouled for no reason so Brunson makes 2 free throws. Then to cap it off he misses the game winner to make up for his mistakes.
Missing a shot isn’t a blunder, that’s just part of the game, unless he messed up the play
Why would you not call the timeout? It’s not like it’s going to carry over if you go to overtime. Idiotic game management by the Spurs there.
Teams get too addicted to the no time out offense even though with a tied game you should probably call the TO. I get if you are down you want to catch the defense lacking but you got to be more cautious in a tied game.
ive always been under the belief this only works if you have a veteran ball handler/team who is going to be comfortable quickly getting to their spot. If you have a young team like the spurs i think you just call timeout every time. Don’t play around advance the ball and draw them up something to do.
This is also what I’m pointing out. Coaches don’t call out timeouts like this for veteran type rosters. The Spurs are a young team. Coaches like Phil Jackson and Popovich would 100% call a timeout for their rosters that were still young in a situation like this.
Logic is usually you don’t want the opposing team to put their best defensive team in but with only 7 seconds left you’re not gonna get a good shot running 80 feet
That only makes sense if you’re DOWN on points. The game was tied. Take a timeout and get a good possession for a clean look. If you miss the worst case is OT.
Pop would never have let that happen
Pop took out Tim freaking Duncan.
I mean I’m not complaining…
CALL THE TIMEOUT
edit: Crazy how much it shows that this team and coach is so young and inexperienced. You call the timeout and you secure the last possession of the game, if it doesn’t go in then you go OT. Don’t gamble it just because you think you can get a fastbreak bucket
I’m guessing he didn’t want to call timeout in that situation because he doesn’t want the Knicks to sub in their best defensive lineup in the last possession. But I agree don’t play for that slight advantage, call timeout and draw up a play.
Mitch is allergic to timeouts in these situations. Same exact thing happened in game 1 vs Wolves.
Somebody photoshop the Larry O’Brian trophy onto the ball, would make it so funny
It’s already on NBA twitter my brother
Call a timeout, set up a play, If you miss it goes to OT.
So true, they’re in the same situation as on the final play but without down 1 point and 5 more seconds to run a play.
[removed]
Even the nuns!
“Oh my gosh!”
This is what got me cut from basketball tryouts. Can NEVER turn your back on the ball as a guard. Not Wemby’s fault.
I never played organized basketball. Thanks for the insight 👍
Eh it’s not so cut and dry in this situation. Under 10 seconds left and Wemby has brought the ball up before plus there’s no defenders on him. Generally speaking yes you’re taught to go back for the ball but this is a situation where I don’t really blame Castle tbh
i blame castle for staring at wemby and then suddenly deciding to not when the dribble barely started. like why let wemby think the outlet is an option?
Please. You dont pass it to someone’s back lmao. Get off wembys D my God
Castle turned around and gave signal to Wemby for the ball all up until Wemby passed it and he turned around. All around fk up from both
Watch it again. Castle is looking until the moment Wemby picks up the ball
Generational fumble—this cost them the game 100%
probably cost them the series
Why are all the comments blaming Wemby and not castle. Castle isn’t even paying attention and the pass hits him right in the back.
Because you generally don’t pass the ball to a persons back
He’s the PG. Did he think Wemby was going full court as the center
Also he is looking back at Wemby at one point.
He’s not the PG I don’t know why people keep thinking this. It’s literally the entire reason they got Fox, cause he’s an actual PG and Castle isn’t yet.
Have you ever played basketball before? If your a guard you don’t make eye contact with your center who just got a rebound then turn your back on them.
Castle is looking at him all the way until Wembanyama throws the ball after which he takes his eyes off the pass. It’s a moment of everything is happening quick in a high-pressure situation, and the young team doesn’t have the experience to keep them steady. This might be the difference
people should be blaming mitch johnson
if your team is full of rookies just call the timeout, you only let them try to get the quick bucket if you have curry or lebron or some other 10x allstar ballhandler like that
Right? Isn’t Castle the point guard? Is he high?
These comments are insane. Every center in the league passes to the PG there. Why is Castle not paying attention?
Not a single guard looking for ball and KAT on his hip. Youth showing.
Fox was waiting for the ball…
He was also literally in the worst position to receive it.
At least it makes the east look less regarded.
Castle not advancing the ball, Wemby making that pass, and Mitch not taking the timeout is an insane choke job. That’s not even including the Wemby foul on Brunson. What a game.
Am I crazy to think Castle fucked him over? Literally looks in his direction and turns while wemby is mid-motion, and also is Castle expecting Wemby to take the ball up the court?
It’s on Mitch Johnson more than anything. Have to take the timeout there
Nah it’s not crazy your PG should always be ready to receive the ball from a big there
Did Castle expect his center to bring the ball up?
Wemby has brought the ball up in this exact kind of situation several times this playoffs.
Game 1 at OKC
Is that an excuse for not paying attention in the last seconds of a tied game?
Yes
“His center” as if we’re not talking about Wemby, who handles it all the time
Not so fun fact: Robert Horry hip checked Steve Nash into that same scorer’s table some 20 years ago and robbed my team of an inaugural championship. This sequence is poetic justice.
Good night
NO WAY
certified shaqtin a fool
I get Wemby brings the ball up sometimes but I feel like with seconds left Castle should know you need an outlet pass here. I don’t think it 100% on Wemby. It’s at least partially Castle fault. They make eye contact as he’s running up the court. Heck you can even put some of this on the coach. A timeout might be better there.
imo its Castle’s fault mostly, he looks at Wemby and as soon as Wemby picks up the ball he turns away, like what?
That’s a MASSIVE choke by Wemby
Went from having the game winning shot in his hands to giving Brunson free throws to LOSE the game
WOW
this is way more on mitch johnson than wemby even though wemby’s decision is pretty bad, it should have been an automatic timeout, no reason not to
what a throw holy fuck
Biggest choke we’ve seen in a finals in a while.
Why does the point guard give eye contact to the center who is advancing the ball and immediately turn around? Colossal mistake by Castle who has been horrendous with offensive awareness in these last 9 games.
lost the game right there
The turnover is obviously bad enough, but the unnecessary foul in the bonus is the actual killer here
This is just fucking tragic.
Mitch Johnson a moron for not telling the ref he wanted a timeout immediately on the rebound.
Wemby a moron for not just holding the ball and advancing halfcourt, at least make eye contact
Castle hard to blame but fuck I guess he shoulda looked too
Still can’t understand the two jump shots. Take it to the rim and high chances you get fouled.
DANHAUSEN STRIKES
Brunson is an absolute DOG. Holy shit what a hustle play
That’s what stands out about these Knicks. Literally all of them are high motor players.
The Spurs have had an insane amount of unforced turnovers just like this all playoffs. It’s honestly surprising how far they’ve gotten with such carelessness.
Wemby’s decision making has been incredibly poor at times, I get being upset with Castle but there’s 0 pressure to pass there and Castle isn’t even looking at you
Why!?
I’ve been on Wembys ass all game but he is still young this kinda stuff can happen
Probably cost them the series
If the Spurs lose the finals and Wemby never manages to make it back to the finals again, this turnover will forever be a stain on his career.
If Wemby never makes a Finals again, that will be the stain on his career
This was the game. All the momentum. Brunson miss. Just crazy dumb.
Wemby shouldn’t have passed it, but how are you the guard and not at least making sure he isn’t getting trapped back-court?
Lowlight of his career. It’s hard to imagine it being worse than that. YIKES.
This is a legendary fuck up by Wemby. This is gonna be in highlight reels for the end of time