San Antonio Spurs big man Mason Plumlee made his presence known in the Western Conference finals on Tuesday. Before the Oklahoma City Thunder's 127-114 victory, the veteran player checked in with 2:13 left in the game.
Plumlee had two quick fouls seconds after he checked into the game. His second foul was on Jared McCain, who received an elbow to his lower back. At the time, the play was called for a common defensive foul. However, the league reviewed the footage and announced on Wednesday that it has been upgraded to a flagrant 1 foul.
“Mason Plumlee’s (SAS) foul against Jared McCain (OKC) at 1:39 of the 4th quarter in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on 5/26/26 has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after league review,” the league announced.
After the elbow from Plumlee, McCain also received a hard foul from backup big man Bismack Biyombo. With under a minute left, the former Duke guard tried to attempt a layup, and the Spurs center contested the shot. Unfortunately for the Thunder guard, he was hit with the left hip of Biyombo, and he fell hard to the ground.
McCain was visibly in pain and spent a good amount of time lying on the floor.
Neither Plumlee nor Biyombo spoke to the media to address their hard fouls on McCain, who had his first playoff career start in Game 5. While the Spurs players refused to speak to reporters, the Thunder guard addressed the hard fouls.
Jared McCain Asked Mason Plumlee After His Flagrant 1 Foul
McCain didn't think much about the hard foul from Plumlee. However, he admitted that it surprised him, and it led him to ask the Spurs center why he did it.
“Yeah, that was crazy. I didn’t expect it, obviously,” McCain said. “We were at the free-throw line, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that, man?’ I’m just asking a question. And he was like, ‘I got another one for you too,’ and I’m like, alright man lemme get to the corner real quick, let’s finish this game out. It’s all in competition, so gotta respect it.”
Despite the hard foul, McCain shrugged it off and understands that it's part of the game. Fortunately for the Thunder guard, he had one of the best games of his career. In his first postseason start, he played a key role by scoring 20 points, helping OKC to a 3-2 lead.
