De'Aaron Fox's layup and the 5 biggest blunders in NBA Finals history, ranked

The San Antonio Spurs just did the least Spurs-esque thing imaginable.

After jumping out to a 27-point halftime lead over the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs went full bozo mode. They kept launching 3s in the second half like they were the team down by 20-plus points instead of up by 20-plus points.

That left the door cracked just enough for the never-say-die Knicks to mount the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

The Knicks couldn't have done that without the Spurs' help, though. After scoring 76 points in the first half, their offense sputtered in the second with only 30 points.

Despite that, they still had a chance to win. Until De'Aaron Fox did this, that is.

That got us thinking: Where did Fox's gaffe rank among the biggest blunders in NBA Finals history?

This is our attempt to answer that question.

Honorable mention: Draymond's low blow

With less than three minutes remaining in Game 4 of the 2016 Finals, the Golden State Warriors were up by 10 and were on the verge of taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

That's when Draymond Green decided to do the Sack-Tap Heard Round The World.

LeBron James, with an homage to Allen Iverson, instigated Draymond by stepping over him. Draymond retaliated by getting up and swinging his right hand into LeBron's groin, which earned him a flagrant foul. That gave him his fourth flagrant-foul point of the playoffs, which automatically resulted in a one-game suspension.

With Draymond out for Game 5, the Cavs beat the Warriors 112-97 in Golden State to send the series back to Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs once again staved off elimination in Game 6 with a 115-101 victory, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 back in the Bay Area.

Thanks to two of the most iconic plays in recent NBA history—LeBron's chase-down block of Andre Iguodala and Kyrie Irving's go-ahead three-pointer—the Cavs managed to close out the Warriors on the road, cementing the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history.

Had Draymond's low blow happened later in the series, this would be higher in these rankings. But the Dubs had plenty of chances to close out the Cavs both with and without Draymond, which makes his gaffe less painful than the following ones.

5. Spurs go small, Ray makes them pay

With 28.2 seconds remaining in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Manu Ginóbili put the Spurs up by five after splitting a pair of free throws. LeBron trimmed the Spurs' lead to two with a three-pointer, but Kawhi Leonard put the Spurs back up by three by also splitting a pair of free throws.

At that point, Chris Bosh entered the game for Mike Miller, while the Spurs subbed out Tim Duncan for Boris Diaw. They'd quickly grow to regret that.

LeBron attempted a game-tying three that clanged off the rim, but Bosh hauled in the rebound over Ginóbili and Danny Green. He sprayed it out to Ray Allen, who quickly retreated behind the three-point line and drilled the game-tying triple.

The Heat went on to win in overtime, sending the series to a Game 7. They wound up winning their second straight championship with a 95-88 victory in Game 7, although the Spurs ultimately got their revenge a year later.

4. JR Smith forgets the score

With 4.7 seconds left in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, Cavaliers guard George Hill went to the free-throw line with his team down by one. He hit the first freebie to tie the game at 107, but he missed the second.

Luckily, Hill's teammate, JR Smith came down with the rebound. Not-so-luckily, Smith apparently forgot the score of the game upon hauling in said rebound.

Rather than attempting a putback that would have put the Cavs ahead, Smith immediately dribbled out to the three-point arc. An incredulous LeBron James began frantically waving at Smith to at least get a shot attempt off, but by the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. He passed a grenade to Hill with less than a second remaining, and Hill couldn't even get a shot off before the buzzer sounded. (Draymond Green blocked his attempt anyway.)

The Warriors proceeded to win Game 1 in overtime and swept the Cavs in the Finals that year, clinching their second straight championship. Eight years later, they remain the last team to go back-to-back.

One can only wonder how those Finals might have went had Smith known the score at the end of regulation in Game 1.

3. De'Aaron Fox's layup gone wrong

Despite blowing a 29-point second-half lead, the Spurs still had a chance to close out the Knicks in Game 4 of the 2026 Finals.

After Stephon Castle hit a pair of free throws to put the Spurs back up by one point, Jalen Brunson missed a potential go-ahead floater with 16.1 seconds left. Fox tipped the rebound into the backcourt and outraced OG Anunoby down the floor to collect the ball.

At that point, the shot clock was turned off. Fox could have just dribbled it out and forced the Spurs to foul him. Instead, he drove to the basket and attempted a layup that would have put the Spurs up by three, but Anunoby swatted it and Jose Alvarado came down with the rebound.

That led to this instantly iconic moment.

After the game, Fox explained his rationale to reporters, telling them that he thought he would be able to outrun Anunoby.

"Have to score. Try to get a layup, get up three," he said. "Force them to need a three. OG made a good block."

Fox's brainfart wasn't the only reason why the Spurs lost Game 4. But despite their inexplicable approach to offense throughout most of the second half, they still had a chance to come away with a victory.

Instead, Fox's meltdown put the Knicks one win away from their first championship in 53 years.

2. Nick Anderson's not-so-free free throws

Before Shaquille O'Neal became a four-time champion with the Lakers and Heat, he had a chance to win a title with the Orlando Magic in 1995.

His teammate, Nick Anderson, blew that.

The Magic were up 110-107 with 10.5 seconds remaining when Anderson drew a foul that sent him to the charity stripe with a chance to potentially ice the game. Unfortunately, he missed both free throws.

Luckily, his second free throw hit the front rim and bounced right back to him. The Rockets fouled him again, giving him a chance for immediate redemption.

He bricked both free throws again.

This time, the Rockets came down with the rebound. Kenny Smith drilled a game-tying three-point on the ensuing possession to send the game into overtime, and the Rockets proceeded to sweep the Magic out of the Finals.

That moment haunted Anderson for the rest of his career.

"I fought with it for a long time," he told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel in 2015. "I struggled with it."

It wouldn't be surprising if Fox's Game 4 blunder has a similar impact on him, particularly if the Spurs go on to lose the 2026 Finals.

1. 'Tragic Johnson'

Magic Johnson couldn't have gotten his NBA career off to a much better start. He won a championship and Finals MVP as a rookie, and he followed that up with another championship and Finals MVP two years later.

But in 1984, Magic was the goat of the Finals … and not in the Michael Jordan way, either.

In Game 2, the Lakers had the ball with the shot clock turned off and the game tied. Magic was seemingly trying to feed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar inside, but he lost track of time and dribbled out the clock instead of getting a shot off. The Lakers proceeded to lose in overtime.

In Game 4, the Lakers were up five with less than a minute left after Magic hit a pair of free throws. The Celtics proceeded to tie the game, but once again, the Lakers had the ball with the shot clock turned off. With the clock ticking down, Magic tried to throw an entry pass to James Worthy, but Robert Parish stole the ball and sent the game into overtime.

With 35 seconds left in overtime, the game was tied at 123. Magic went to the line for a pair of free throws, but he wound up missing both. Larry Bird hauled in the rebound and wound up drilling a game-winning turnaround jumper right over Magic's outstretched arm.

Despite those gaffes, the Lakers still had a chance to win the series in Game 7. The Lakers came back from a 14-point deficit and were down only 105-102 with less than a minute remaining. Magic dribbled the ball up the court and pulled up for what looked like a mid-range jumper, but Robert Parish blocked his shot, Dennis Johnson came up with the rebound and drew a foul as he drove in for a layup on the other end.

Those blunders earned Magic the nickname "Tragic Johnson," although he'd redeem himself by beating the Celtics in both the 1985 and 1987 Finals.  

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