Are the Knicks destined to finally win it all? A stunning Game 4 comeback has them one win away.
What occurred Wednesday night in New York could be the defining moment of a season of destiny for the Knicks.
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For 53 years, they have attempted, sometimes valiantly, sometimes clumsily, to return to the mountain top of the NBA, always falling short, watching other teams like the Celtics, who were better managed, more competent, and less irrational win multiple championships while they appeared more consumed with star chasing instead of roster building.
But this year, it has been different. The Knicks are a resilient team, having learned from their playoff failures past, and they are savvy enough to understand that no lead is ever safe in the NBA.
While they played putridly in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and allowed the Spurs to take a 29-point lead, they slowly chipped away at inexperienced San Antonio, which appeared content to take hero ball shots and treat possessions like dented pennies.
In the end, with the Knicks needing one last bucket to complete the stunning comeback, the unflappable OG Anunoby tipped in a Jalen Brunson 3-point miss with 1.2 seconds left to give the Knicks the 107-106 win, and turning Madison Square Garden into Studio 54.
After the Spurs edged the Knicks in Game 3, with nearly every famous New Yorker in the house, including President Trump, San Antonio dominated again early and outclassed the Knicks for a 76-49 halftime lead.
It was the biggest NBA Finals comeback in league history, edging out the Celtics’ Game 4 rally against the Lakers in 2008.
San Antonio had dropped two close games at home to begin this series and were just a decent second half from evening the series. They took the emotion out of MSG, but a team that’s painfully young began playing with the game in the second half.
The Spurs made just eight shots in the second half, three by wunderkind Victor Wembanyama. But when the Spurs needed him to close, he couldn’t, missing two free throws down the stretch. He finished with 24 points but again showed fatigue in the final minutes.
De’Aaron Fox, acquired by the Spurs two years ago to stabilize the offense and be an adult amongst the team’s neophytes, made perhaps the biggest mistake of the game by racing the ball toward the rim for a layup with 11.1 seconds left and San Antonio up a point. But Anunoby blocked the layup, giving the Knicks one final possession.
The Knicks deserve immense credit for their rally, but the Spurs also deserve major condemnation similar to the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. All great comebacks are aided by an opponent that lose their poise and abandon their principles. After going 14 for 26 from the 3-point line in the first half, the Spurs were 2 for 12 in the third quarter, a period where they made just four shots.
That offensive ineptitude allowed the Knicks to slice 12 points off the San Antonio lead. Still, the Spurs led by 20 points with 9:35 left before an 11-0 Knicks run over the next three minutes.
Suddenly, San Antonio looked frazzled, couldn’t get into its offense, and appeared vulnerable, and the Knicks gobbled up their prey.
While Brunson starred with 36 points, the overlooked Anunoby, who was a budding two-way star when the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in December 2023 and has developed into a fearless, indispensable stalwart, the kind of player who helps win championships.
While the rest of the city celebrated, the stoic Anunoby chose to shift his attention to Game 5 in San Antonio. Plenty of teams have fallen one win short of an NBA championship, losing focus because they thought the job was already done, similar to the Spurs in Game 4, who followed a brilliant first half with a negligent second half, fully underestimating their opponent, obviously not expecting the Knicks to continue their pursuit.
As painful as it is to digest for Celtics faithful, the Knicks are proving to be different that their past overrated predecessors. Team president Leon Rose padded the roster with talent, even plucking New York native Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans in a deadline deal to fortify the backcourt.
Alvarado’s presence in the second half relieved ball-handling duties from Brunson, allowing him more energy to create offense. Brunson was a plus-30 in the second half and Alvarado was a plus-19, It was a desperate but brilliant adjustment from coach Mike Brown.
Brown had to do something because his team was playing so poorly in the first half. But his counterpart Mitch Johnson decided his team’s sparkling first half required no second-half changes. He has to accept considerable blame for the collapse and will now need to revive his team’s spirits for Game 5 in San Antonio.
But teams generally don’t come back from losses like these. Defeats like these on the game’s biggest stage could set franchises back for years because opportunities like these don’t come often. Just ask the Nuggets, Celtics, or Thunder, the last three champions who failed to return to the Finals the next season.
The Knicks are not concerned with next year anymore. They are consumed with Saturday. New York fans, filled with celebrities, stayed at Madison Square Garden for more than an hour after Game 4, singing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and basking in his once-in-a lifetime moment.
They are one win away from ending two generations of pain and ineptitude and this team appears determined enough to capitalize on this precious opportunity.
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