After being down by 29 in the game, the New York Knicks would make one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The Knicks are one win away from capturing the NBA championship for the first time since 1973.
OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds would spark the New York crowd and team to show that there was no quit in the team.
“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.
It’s certainly high on the list — as high as Anunoby leaped when Jalen Brunson‘s long 3-point shot bounced off the front of the rim, with his right hand stretching high to softly flick it in.
“Right hand from God,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
The Knicks, who have just two titles in their 80-year history and hadn’t even been to the NBA Finals since 1999, have a 3-1 lead and three chances to win the best-of-seven series — starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio.
When the Spurs were up by 27 at halftime, the combination of Brunson and Anunoby would be the difference maker in the game. Bruson would score 36 and Anunoby would have 33.
No team had come from more than 24 points down in a finals game, when Boston did it against the Lakers in 2008, since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters in 1997. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter.
“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot,” Anunoby said. “We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”
The only bigger comeback on record in any playoff game was 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State in Game 2 of a first-round series in 2019.
“You look at it when you’re down 29 of, ‘OK, let’s get it to 20.’ There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘Let’s get it to 10,” forward Josh Hart said.
“In the fourth quarter, you’re like, this is winning time. Anything can happen.”
And it did.
The young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 3-pointers, went cold in the second half, going 3 for 7 behind the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.
Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points and 13 rebounds but shot 5 for 25 from the field.
Dylan Harper had 21 points while De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Vessell had 18 each.
“I think it began before (the fourth quarter),” Wembanyama said of the Spurs’ collapse. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. … We clearly weren’t the hungriest in the second half.”
Fans booed Wembanyama when he came on to the floor to warm up about an hour before the game and the Knicks tried to get rough with him, with Mitchell Robinson called for a flagrant foul for hitting him above the shoulders, and Jose Alvarado reviewed for one after going below the belt.
Wembanyama — who was also called for a flagrant — stood up OK against the Knicks but will regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103.
President Donald Trump was not at the game, but Taylor Swift, along with Ben Stiller, was at the game. The celebrity crowd in New York was stunned by Spike Lee and Stephen A. Smith being in attendance.
