It’s a game that will go down in history.
The New York Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday, rallying from a 29-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 by a score of 107-106. They now lead the best-of-seven NBA Finals 3-1 with a chance to clinch the title on Saturday in San Antonio in Game 5.
Not only did the Knicks come all the way back to stun the Spurs, but the way they did it – a tipped-in rebound by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds remaining to take the lead – was simply stunning at the end of one of the most remarkable halves of basketball in NBA history.
But it was really a tale of two halves.
The Spurs dominated the first half, right from the opening tip, even before Knicks fans, including celebrities Taylor Swift, Timothée Chalamet and others had a chance to sit down in their seats.
Just over a minute into the game, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two quick fouls, including a controversial second one that came following a review, forcing the 30-year-old to the bench.
New York never truly recovered in the opening two quarters of the game.
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The Spurs went on an offensive onslaught, breaking numerous NBA Finals records in the process.
San Antonio went into halftime with a 76-49 lead over the Knicks, the largest lead by a road team in Finals history, excluding the 2020 Covid-19 bubble series.
The Spurs also connected on 14 three-pointers, the most made in the first half in Finals history.
But the second half was where the fun for the New York faithful started.
The previous largest comeback in Finals history came almost 20 years ago when the Boston Celtics came back from 24 points down against the Los Angeles Lakers. History was against the Knicks and it felt like the series was slipping away.
But the start of the second half gave them a small glimmer of hope after the Knicks went on a 13-0 run and eventually cut the lead to 15 points heading into the final quarter.
The Knicks continued to chip away at the Spurs’ lead little by little throughout the fourth quarter, with Madison Square Garden getting louder and louder as belief surged through the building. The lead got into single digits and then got closer until it was finally just one possession.
Knicks All-Star guard Brunson was the spark plug, giving New York their first lead of the game with just 1:22 left in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs took a 106-105 lead with just 30 seconds remaining, and the Garden was on its feet, hoping to witness history.
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With just over five seconds remaining, Brunson got the inbounds pass and chucked up a long three-pointer that hit the front of the rim. Anunoby leapt above the Spurs defenders and tipped in the shot, which proved to be the game-winner with 1.2 left, sending the Garden into delirium.
The Spurs still had plenty of time to get a shot up, but Stephon Castle wasn’t able to hoist it on the inbound pass, securing the historic victory for New York, who are now just a game away from their first title since 1973.
While Brunson’s game-high 36 points led the way, it was Anunoby’s 33 points on 7-for-9 shooting from three that really did the heavy lifting for the Knicks.
“Just doing what it takes to win. Our thing is crashing the glass … I just tried to make a play. … We’re resilient,” Anunoby told the ABC broadcast after the game.
A lot of the talk heading into Game 4 was about the officiating.
Early in Monday’s Game 3, Victor Wembanyama appeared to shove Jalen Brunson, but no call was made on the court. The league retroactively reviewed the no-call but decided not to upgrade the play to a flagrant on the 22-year-old French superstar.
On top of that, Knicks head coach Mike Brown was critical of the refs over the Spurs’ free-throw discrepancy of 24 to New York’s eight in the second half.
Fast forward to Wednesday and Wembanyama heard it from the Garden crowd before tip off and every time he touched the ball.
The Frenchman was at the center of some big moments throughout the game. Mitchell Robinson elbowed Wembanyama in the first quarter, with the big man getting a flagrant. Early in the third quarter, Wembanyama elbowed Towns in the face and was charged with a flagrant I, meaning he now has three flagrant points this postseason and is one more away from an automatic suspension.
Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the loss.
Wemby downplayed having to change the way he plays the rest of the series after the game.
“Of course, I’m going to be more careful. But it’s not going to change much,” Wembanyama told reporters.
As for shifting to the next game after an emotional game, Wembanyama expressed his and his teammates’ hurt with the loss.
“I don’t know about the emotions, but it was painful, of course. It feels like we worked too hard and give up our leads. It’s as simple as that. It just hurts,” he said.
The series now shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday at the Frost Bank Center.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
