Spurs, Stephon Castle end up on wrong side of NBA Playoffs history after Game 2 loss
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Spurs, Stephon Castle end up on wrong side of NBA Playoffs history after Game 2 loss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Breaking records in the NBA Playoffs is usually great, but mistakes can be record-breaking as well. While the prestige of a record becomes more important during the Western Conference Finals, the same can be said for crucial missteps. This is exactly what Coach Mitch Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs learned during their Game 2 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They saw Stephon Castle lose the ball a lot and give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander momentum to finish the game in regulation.
Spurs, Castle end up on the wrong side of NBA Playoffs history in Game 2 vs. Thunder
The rough Thunder defense forced Stephon Castle to commit nine turnovers, which removed all possibilities of the Spurs coming back in the fourth quarter. When totaled, Coach Mitch Johnson has now seen his starting guard commit a whopping total of 20 turnovers in the span of Games 1 and 2. This meant that Castle broke an eye-popping NBA Playoffs record and ended up on the wrong side of postseason history.
The 20 turnovers from Castle are the most by any player in the NBA Playoffs in a two-game span. This statistic has been tracked since 1977, and the Spurs guard is now in sole possession of the disheartening record, per ESPN Insights.
Who was responsible for all of this? Well, it was Coach Mark Daigneault and the Thunder who played by committee. He sent a flurry of blitzes using Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, and Ajay Mitchell, among others. This proved to be the series-altering adjustment that led to the Game 2 victory.
Moreover, the Thunder have also been exploiting Castle on the other side of the court. Coach Daigneault saw Coach Johnson rely on his young guard to perform well on both ends of the floor because Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox were out. He then instructed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to keep attacking Castle.
A massive swing happens for the Thunder whenever Castle and Gilgeous-Alexander are matched up. In fact, the two-time Most Valuable Player has scored 24 points while going 10 of 19 from the field whenever the Spurs guard is the one guarding him.
Coach Johnson and Victor Wembanyama need to scheme the young guard so that he commits less mistakes as they go deeper in the NBA Playoffs. Otherwise, Castle crumbling due to the Thunder means the Spurs go down with him.