NBA FINALS: KNICKS VS. SPURS

June 12, 2026

De'Aaron Fox

San Antonio Spurs

Practice Day

Q. After the way Game 4 went, what did the film show you about where things were? How do you evaluate your own performance?

DE'AARON FOX: I mean, for us, what are we going to do whenever we get up 10, 15? Basically every game we've had some sort of a lead and we're down 3-1. We have to figure out how to sustain those leads. We have to figure out how to finish games.

Q. I think this team has talked about how you've been so important to them all year long in terms of the growth. In terms of a game like that, how do you separate some of the mistakes from the overall belief that you have come this far, that bond you have with Mitch?

DE'AARON FOX: I mean, I think these games have showed us that we have a chance. Like it's not like we're going out there and getting steamrolled. I think we had the largest lead in all four games. We've lost those leads. Games have gotten close. Obviously, we grinded it out in Game 3.

Every time we get this lead, that's when the game starts, that's when the game is on. They've made bigger plays down the stretch of games. Game 1, tie game, they get a 10-point lead. Last game, I mean, their biggest lead was one.

Like I said before, we have to figure out ways to continue to extend our lead. When they do make these games close, we have to figure out ways to execute down the stretch. I think that's where these games have lied.

Q. Which way is the pendulum going now? The fact that yes, you have had the biggest leads in all four games, chances to win them all, and you are down 3-1? Is there belief from the fact you've had these leads or is the frustration creeping in that three of them got away?

DE'AARON FOX: Obviously it's frustrating to be down. We still have this belief because we've seen it. We've seen it be done, that teams have come back from 3-1.

I think even with those series, the games that they lost, they were losing by double-digits. The games that we're losing have all been close games.

We still have that belief that we have a chance to win. But we're taking this one game at a time. We're not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game. Then you look at that next game.

We're not trying to fast forward, take the easy way out, take shortcuts. We're looking at that game tomorrow and that's the one game we're thinking about tomorrow.

Q. They play five-out so much of the game. You haven't had to see much of that on the road. How challenging is that defensively over the course of the game, particularly how Victor can't spend a ton of time playing in the spot down low?

DE'AARON FOX: I mean, I think a big part of it is the process that we have. You can make shots, you miss shots, whatever. It's how we're guarding. Whenever we're doing the things we're supposed to do, we're forcing them into tougher shots. If they make the shots, hats off to them. When we're doing that, we are forcing them to miss, that's when we're at our best.

We go and look at what happened in the second half, our process wasn't there. They're getting open shots, they're getting offensive rebounds because we're out of position. That's the biggest thing for us.

Obviously, it's a difficult thing to do over and over and over again. When we're doing those things and we're staying on top of the things we're supposed to do, we're making it tougher on them offensively.

Q. Why is it so tough to get back to executing your game plan or being in your process when your head is underwater?

DE'AARON FOX: I mean, I don't think it's necessarily when they're going on a run or when they're making shots. It's about us. We're dictating kind of a lot of what's going on. When we're not doing those things, they're making their run.

Like I said, even if the process is right and they're making shots, you want to continue to stick with that process.

There's just things where it's miscommunication here and there. Then it's kind of a domino effect. When we don't start a possession off the right way, kind of something bad happens at the end of the possession, whether they make a shot or get two, three, extra possessions.

Q. You've been through a lot in this league, experienced a lot of successes. This kind of level of attention, scrutiny, a tough finish, what have the last couple of days been like for you processing the attention, that scrutiny?

DE'AARON FOX: It's not like people have my phone number and can call me [smiling]. I don't watch those shows. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. Can't change it now. Just coming up and yelling in your face about it.

It is what it is. We're trying to move on from that, continue to learn from the mistakes we made, how we lost the lead, finished the game poorly. We think about the next game.

Q. What's in your mind when you think for tomorrow's game the Knicks fans, the number of Knicks fans will be bigger than Game 1, Game 2? Most of those tickets were sold by Spurs fans. Something in your mind?

DE'AARON FOX: I mean, is that something to be...

People are making money. It's the economy we live in. It's the world we live in. Am I upset about it? No. Do I understand it? Sure.

I don't think that changes what happens on the court.