"Yeah, I mean, it's definitely tough.

I feel like (the Dort dive) was a play that could have been avoidable, but it is what it is," keluh Fox.

Fox mengaku kecewa tidak bisa tampil maksimal, namun dia tetap memprioritaskan kehadirannya di lapangan demi membantu tim yang berada di ujung tanduk eliminasi.

"Obviously, it is disappointing not being able to be 100 percent.

But like I said, I'm able to be out there, so that's all that matters to me right now," ungkap Fox.

Pemain bernomor punggung rubrik tersebut menegaskan tekadnya untuk terus bertanding demi memperpanjang napas Spurs di babak playoff.

"I don't feel great, but I'm able to play," tegas Fox.

Kedalaman Skuat Thunder Jadi Pembeda

Beralih ke kubu sang juara bertahan, kedalaman skuat Oklahoma City Thunder terbukti menjadi pembeda setelah para pemain cadangan mereka sukses mengungguli poin cadangan Spurs dengan margin agregat 257-127 di seri ini, seperti dilansir dari Tim Willert, Associated Press.

"We have good players on our bench.

They've got good players on their bench," kata Alex Caruso yang menyumbang 22 poin dan 6 assist pada gim kelima lalu.

Caruso menilai kontribusi pemain cadangan menjadi salah satu area krusial untuk mencatatkan keunggulan plus-minus poin di lapangan.

"So, we know that's an area of the game where you can try to find some positive plus-minus time for that group," jelas Caruso.

Selain faktor bangku cadangan, strategi bertahan fisik dari Isaiah Hartenstein yang ditugaskan mengawal ketat bintang Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, turut menjadi kunci merosotnya efisiensi poin San Antonio.

Center Thunder, Chet Holmgren, yang mencetak 16 poin dan 11 rebound pada laga sebelumnya, menegaskan pentingnya menjaga komitmen kolektif dibandingkan ambisi pribadi saat diwawancarai oleh Fred Katz dari The Athletic.

"Ego has been the downfall of many people's careers," ujar Holmgren.

Holmgren menekankan bahwa mengorbankan statistik individu demi pencapaian tim adalah prioritas utamanya dalam mempertahankan gelar juara NBA.

"I feel like ego gets in the way of maximizing the moment and also understanding.

Basically, what you're asking me is, would I trade what we just accomplished last year and the opportunity that we have (this year) and the group that we have?

>>> Thunder Redam Wembanyama, Unggul 3-2 atas Spurs

Would I sacrifice that to go be able to shoot 20 shots a game? I don't think so," pungkas Holmgren.