The San Antonio Spurs approach Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 3-2 series lead, and De’Aaron Fox delivered a detailed breakdown of the team’s mindset during a practice interview on Thursday, May 14.
San Antonio enters the road matchup after a Game 5 win, with Fox emphasizing how control of momentum has shaped the series. “Yeah, I mean, it’s a game of runs and we know that,” Fox said. “But I mean, that’s kind of the thing that we’ve had with this team just throughout the course of this year.”
He pointed to earlier games in the matchup and regular-season meetings against the Timberwolves as a reference point for the Spurs’ learning curve. “All three games, we played them in the regular season. We had good leads. And then fourth quarter, like I said, before the series started, we were, I think, minus 39 or 40.”
Fox connected those struggles to a broader requirement for consistency. “Whenever you want to be a good team, you want to be a great team, you have to be able to either extend those leads or just maintain those leads throughout the course of the game,” he said.
San Antonio’s focus on limiting Minnesota’s second-chance opportunities has also been a defining theme. “We know that they are able to get these leads. And this happened throughout the course of the season with a lot of teams for us,” Fox said. “I think before tonight they were averaging like 20, 25 second chance points. And that was one of the key things that we needed to take away, just take away their offensive rebounds.”
The Spurs guard also highlighted the physical nature of the matchup against Minnesota, where players like Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert have challenged San Antonio’s defensive structure. “You just got to be ready,” Fox said. “We know what type of team that they are.”
He added that execution in physical matchups has been a deciding factor. “In the games that we’ve won, I think we’ve been able to hit first,” Fox said. “It’s not like doing anything dirty or anything like that, but just trying to keep them out of the paint, keep them off the offensive glass.”
San Antonio’s approach has centered on early response and sustained pressure. “We want to be when you get up 15, if they get it to 10, you want to get it back to 15, get it up to 20, get it up to 23,” Fox said. “And that’s what we were able to do and just try to wear on teams.”
As the series tightens, Fox described a shift toward execution over surprise in scouting. “Yeah, I mean, you know what everyone’s going to do. We know each other’s plays,” he said. “At that point, you’ve got to try to will some of these games.”
He added that marginal gains now define playoff possessions. “If they can catch the ball two feet or three feet out of where they want to catch the ball, that helps us in the possession.”
Looking ahead to a potential closeout opportunity in Minneapolis, Fox acknowledged the challenge of playing on the road. “That’s a team that plays extremely well at home. One of the better home court advantages,” he said. “So for us, we have to do what we did. We have to try to hit them first.”
Fox also described the internal competitive standard when games swing. “We were able to answer that call whenever it was made,” he said. “Once we got back up, we never looked back. And that’s the team that we want to be.”
As Game 6 approaches, San Antonio’s execution and physical response will again be tested against a Minnesota team fighting to extend the series to seven.
