"Think about how much it takes for Mark Daigneault to rely on Kenrich Williams over Chet Holmgren down the stretch of a Game 7.
That's exactly what happened," jelas Haberstroh.
Minimnya agresivitas Holmgren di laga kandang dinilai tidak bisa diterima.
"Without Jalen Williams and without AJ Mitchell, the shot creation and scoring burden falls on him," kata Haberstroh.
"For a player with his talent, on his home floor in a Game 7, it's unacceptable to take only two shots and be completely absent offensively," pungkasnya.
Rookie Carter Bryant dan Veteran Harrison Barnes
Di kubu San Antonio Spurs, kesuksesan ini mencatatkan cerita tersendiri bagi pemain rookie Carter Bryant.
Ia berhasil mencapai Final NBA pada musim pertamanya setelah dipilih di urutan ke-14 draft tahun lalu.
Bryant menjadi alumni Universitas Arizona ketiga yang mencapai final sebagai rookie setelah Luke Walton pada 2004 dan Richard Jefferson pada 2002.
Ia juga memperpanjang rekor 12 musim beruntun bagi mantan pemain Arizona Wildcat di Final NBA.
Meski sempat mendapat teguran keras dari pelatih Mitch Johnson pada Game 4 akibat tiga pelanggaran dalam waktu kurang dari dua menit, Bryant mampu memetik pelajaran.
"Compliments and things of that nature, that takes away from you learning and growing... honesty...
is something I'm very grateful for," kata Bryant.
>>> Cara Klaim Saldo DANA Kaget dengan Mudah dan Aman
Pelatih Spurs, Mitch Johnson, mengonfirmasi bahwa sikap temperamentalnya di pinggir lapangan didasari oleh keinginan agar sang rookie bermain lebih cepat dan agresif.
"Carter has been as coachable as anybody," kata Johnson.
"At times, he probably is trying to do the right thing too much, and I think that's where, at times, the urgency and the competitive competitiveness of myself comes out because I just want that kid to play fast and aggressive," tambahnya.
Evaluasi video selepas kekalahan di Game 3 menjadi kunci perbaikan disiplin lini pertahanan Spurs.
"I think probably half of them were from undisciplined, first off the floor, he got us out of position, took advantage of it," ujar Johnson.
Johnson mengingatkan anak asuhnya untuk tidak terpancing oleh gerakan tipuan lawan.
"I know a few of them were pretty good defense, it felt like up until that point, and it's tough because he gets to spots and he makes tough shots, but you got to keep fighting that urge to try to do more and stay with it...
I can remember at least a few on my head right now that were undisciplined on our end," paparnya.
Bryant sendiri menganggap kesalahan sebagai bagian natural dari pertandingan.
"Obviously, you wish you could make no mistakes, but if we didn't make mistakes, basketball wouldn't be basketball," kata Bryant kepada Spurs on SI.
Pada laga Game 7 ini, Bryant bermain selama tiga menit dan menyumbang dua poin tanpa melakukan kesalahan. Sebelumnya, ia mencetak dunk impresif pada Game 6.
"So I think just have an idea of earning every possession back and just trying to limit guys' paint points.
You never know, that guy sees a layup go through, and may give him a little bit of confidence to shoot," ujarnya.
Sementara itu, momentum ini juga menjadi kesempatan menebus dosa bagi pemain veteran Harrison Barnes.
Ia kembali ke Final NBA tepat sepuluh tahun setelah kegagalan tragisnya bersama Golden State Warriors pada 2016.
Meskipun Barnes tidak mencetak angka dalam tiga menit penampilannya pada laga Game 7 ini, ia berhasil mempertahankan rekor unik.
>>> San Antonio Spurs Tekuk Oklahoma City Thunder di Game 7, Lolos ke NBA Finals
Pemain NBA selalu menang ketika melakoni Game 7 tepat di hari ulang tahunnya.
