The final few minutes of an already decided game, even in the playoffs, tend to be pretty uneventful. With 2:13 remaining in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs pulled their starters while trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by 14. It seemed from there that we were headed for two minutes of quiet dribbling before Oklahoma City celebrated a 3-2 series lead.
Instead, an already enormously physical series got even chippier. With 1:39 remaining, Spurs reserve big man Mason Plumlee put an elbow into the back of Thunder guard Jared McCain as he chased Alex Caruso through a screen. Plumlee’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 on Wednesday after a league review.
And then, with roughly 46 seconds remaining, McCain drove for a floater and was again fouled, though not quite as hard, by another Spurs reserve, Bismack Biyombo.
After the game, McCain explained with a laugh in an interview with NBA TV that the Spurs let him know the fouls were coming.
“Yeah, that was crazy. I didn’t expect it, obviously. We were at the free-throw line, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that, man?’ I’m just asking a question. And he was like, ‘I got another one for you too,’ and I’m like, alright man lemme get to the corner real quick, let’s finish this game out. It’s all in competition, so gotta respect it,” McCain said.
Hard fouls are not always a story, but what makes these particular fouls more dramatic is what preceded them. As Spurs star Victor Wembanyama checked out of the game, he was caught whispering something in the ears of both Plumlee and Biyombo. It is not clear what exactly Wembanyama said, and he did not speak to reporters after Game 5. It’s also unclear whether McCain was referencing having a back-and-forth with Plumlee or Biyombo at the foul line.
McCain has become a critical component of this series for Oklahoma City. The Thunder are down their second- and third-best shot-creators in Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, but in Oklahoma City’s Game 3 and 5 wins, McCain scored 44 total points. He got his first start of the playoffs in Game 5, and that decision helped the Thunder reclaim the series lead as he scored 20 points in the 127-114 win.
Now the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 6, and the Spurs will play their first elimination game of the Wembanyama era. Slowing down McCain will be one of the keys to San Antonio’s survival, but after fouls like the ones we saw at the end of Game 5, San Antonio’s defenders will surely be watched closely for any unnecessary physicality.