MINNEAPOLIS — The Spurs’ Mitch Johnson acknowledged he can do a better job when it comes to deciding when to use his coach’s challenge.
Johnson’s game management came under scrutiny after Friday night’s 115-108 win over Minnesota on Friday in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Johnson challenged an offensive foul called against guard Stephon Castle with 2:39 left in the first half and the Spurs leading 45-43. Upon review, the call stood, leaving the Spurs without a challenge to use later in the hotly contested game.
“We can be better at it,” Johnson told the media Saturday at the team hotel.
“I can be better at it for sure,” he added. “We’ve had some Monday morning quarterback-type stuff. But, again, it’s something we just got to keep committing to trying to get better at and improve upon.
After burning his challenge on the charging call against Castle, Johnson couldn’t challenge the fifth foul called against Victor Wembanyama with 6:18 left in the game.
Johnson said the coaching staff weighs plenty of factors before issuing a challenge, all of which were discussed Friday night before he made the decision to use it.
“There’s definitely some things we discuss in terms of what you would challenge in terms of circumstances of the game, whether it’s taking points off the board, putting points on the board, fouls, who’s in it, first quarter, fourth quarter, possession, all those types of things,” he said. “So we definitely have a lot that goes into the decision, but at the moment a lot of plays are bang, bang, plays.”
It’s not the first time Johnson’s game management decisions have been debated in the playoffs. Critics have pointed to other early challenges and questionable decisions regarding the use of timeouts.
