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3 hours ago
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Mark Diagneault doesn’t regret fouling down the stretch on Monday night, even though it allowed the Denver Nuggets to be in position to steal Game 1 away from them in stunning fashion.
The Oklahoma City Thunder coach, while admitting his strategy to foul the Nuggets while they had the lead down the stretch didn’t pan out, is convinced that was still the right move — even if they didn’t quite execute it perfectly.
“That’s usually our deal is to foul up three and to play that game,” Diagneault said after the Nuggets’ stunning 121-119 win, via The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi. “I thought we executed the fouls pretty well. Got the ball in bounds pretty well. It didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s worked out well for us in the past. We’ll continue to look at it, maybe learn from it, but I didn't think that’s why we lost the game.”
The Nuggets rallied back and ended the game on a 19-6 run to grab the win in the opening game of their Western Conference semifinals series. Repeatedly down the stretch, though, the Thunder opted to foul Denver when they held a narrow lead.
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That strategy isn’t necessarily a bad one, and coaches at all levels of the game often opt for it as an attempt to prevent a game-tying or game-winning shot. Alex Caruso fouled Aaron Gordon with just 10.1 seconds on the clock and a four-point lead in hand, for example, and then Gordon’s two free throws kept their lead at two. Caruso did that just two seconds earlier, too, which led to a pair of free throws from Nikola Jokić — though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a dunk to keep the Thunder ahead between fouls.
The only problem, though, is that the Thunder have to hit their free throws too. Oklahoma City star Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with 9.1 seconds left. Had he just just one of them, the Thunder would’ve held a three-point lead.
That allowed Gordon to hit a game-winning 3-point shot after an incredible sequence down the floor from the Nuggets, which sealed their Game 1 win.
The other big issue here is that the Thunder didn’t let any time come off the clock between fouls. They could’ve let several seconds come off the clock each time and shorten the game.
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Regardless, Diagneault is taking full responsibility.
“The backcourt fouls hurt us,” Diagneault said. “We can learn from fouling up three, that's on me .. .It’s probably too early [to foul] on my part. But that’s not on the players. They’re executing what I’m telling them to do.”
In the end, it's hard to blame the loss completely on the decision to foul late. The Thunder shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, considering they held a double digit lead in the fourth quarter. And, if Holmgren hit his free throws, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Or one of them would have sent the game into overtime, at least.
But had the young Thunder team executed the strategy perfectly, they would hold a 1-0 lead heading into Wednesday night's Game 2. If the series is as entertaining as the first game was, that mistake could make all the difference.
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