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De’Aaron Fox made one thing clear ahead of Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves: distractions off the court are not part of the playoff equation.
“People know how to call me after tickets,” Fox said during Sunday’s practice session. “If they call my wife or something, hey, that is what it is.”
The San Antonio Spurs guard emphasized that the issue has already been addressed internally before the postseason began. “We kind of talked about it before the playoffs started,” he said. “But for me personally, regular season, preseason, don’t call me for tickets.”
Fox stressed that his focus remains on preparation and performance rather than off-court requests. “I got other stuff to worry about than to get somebody tickets,” he said.
San Antonio enters the Western Conference semifinals after a first-round series that required constant adjustments, and Fox said the team used the break to reset its defensive structure.
“We had goals of what we wanted to hold them to as far as second chance points, transition, points in the paint,” Fox said. “We reflected on that.”
The Spurs guard explained that preparation between rounds resembled structured installation work. “We had a defensive day, an offensive day, install some things,” he said. “And I think we’re prepared.”
Fox described the first-round defense as mostly effective, though not complete. “I think it was good,” he said. “I think overall we had a good defensive series.”
One area of concern was transition defense, where the Spurs narrowly missed internal benchmarks. “Our goal was 15 and I think they averaged like 16,” Fox said. “Even with that, I think we had some really good games.”
Looking ahead, Fox expects Minnesota to bring a different level of physicality and rebounding pressure compared to previous opponents. “They’re extremely physical, especially defensively,” he said.
He pointed directly to how the Timberwolves change games with effort plays. “That’s how they beat us this year,” Fox said. “We had the lead in all three of those games.”
Fox highlighted Minnesota’s fourth-quarter surges as a critical lesson from the regular season meetings. “They crashed the glass more. They were more physical defensively,” he said. “We lost those fourth quarters by like 40 combined.”
Even without key personnel changes on the opposing roster, Fox said the identity remains unchanged. “That’s their identity,” he said. “That doesn’t change because of who is out there.”
San Antonio’s own identity, Fox added, is built on controlling the glass and limiting second chances. “We talk about being an efficient team,” he said. “But you have to win the opportunity battle.”
Fox also noted that internal standards have been set for the series based on Minnesota’s efficiency splits. “They told us what their record was when they’re under that and when they’re over that,” he said.
With Game 1 approaching, Fox said the Spurs are relying on preparation, structure, and execution rather than external narratives. “We have those goals that we want to really focus on going into the series,” he said.
