The New York Knicks staged the biggest comeback in the history of the NBA Finals in the early hours of this Thursday (11), recovering from a 29-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4, 107-106, at Madison Square Garden, in New York.
Now, the Knicks lead the best-of-seven NBA Finals series 3-1, with a chance to win the title next Saturday (13), in San Antonio, in Game 5.
Not only did the Knicks pull off a spectacular comeback against the Spurs, but the way they did it – on a rebound basket by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left to take the lead – was simply stunning at the end of one of the most memorable halves in NBA history.
About the game
The Spurs dominated the first half from the start, even before Knicks fans, including celebrities like Taylor Swift, Timothée Chalamet and others, had a chance to take their seats.
In the first minute of the game, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns committed two quick fouls, including a second controversial one that occurred after reviewing the play, which forced him to go to the bench.
New York never really recovered in the first two quarters of the game.
The Spurs went on a relentless attack, 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 visiting team in Finals history, excluding the 2020 Covid-19 bubble series.
The Spurs also made 14 three-pointers, the most made in the first half in Finals history.
But it was in the second half that the fun began for New York fans.
until then it had happened almost 20 years earlier, when the Boston Celtics reversed a 24-point deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers. History was against the Knicks and it seemed like the series was slipping through their fingers.
But the start of the second half gave them a small glimmer of hope after the Knicks opened a 13-0 lead and eventually closed the gap to 15 points early in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks continued to chip away at the Spurs’ lead little by little throughout the final quarter, with Madison Square Garden growing louder and louder as confidence grew in the gym. The lead reached single digits and then decreased even further until it was reduced to just one possession.
Knicks All-Star point guard Brunson was responsible for driving the team forward, giving New York its first lead of the game with just 1 minute and 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs took a 106-105 lead with just 30 seconds left, and Madison Square Garden was on its feet, hoping to witness a historic moment.
With just over five seconds left, Brunson received the throw-in pass and launched a long-range three-pointer that hit the front of the rim. Anunoby leapt above the Spurs defenders and converted the rebound, which turned out to be the game-winning basket with 1.2 seconds remaining, sending Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
The Spurs still had plenty of time to shoot, but Stephon Castle was unable to capitalize on the throw-in pass, securing the historic victory for New York, who are now just one game away from their first title since 1973.
While Brunson led the team with a game-high 36 points, it was Anunoby’s 33 points on 7-of-9 three-pointers that really did most of the work for the Knicks.
“We’re just doing whatever it takes to win. Our goal is to fight for the rebound… I just tried to make a play… We’re resilient,” Anunoby said on the ABC broadcast after the game.
Wemby in potential trouble
Much of the talk before Game 4 was about the officiating.
At the beginning of Game 3 on Monday, he pushed Jalen Brunson, but no foul was called on the court. The league later reviewed the decision, but decided not to classify the move as a flagrant foul against the 22-year-old French star.
Additionally, Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized the refereeing for the discrepancy in free throws between the Spurs (24) and New York (8) in the second half.
Fast forward to Wednesday, and Wembanyama heard the Garden fans before kickoff and every time he touched the ball.
The Frenchman was at the center of some important moments throughout the match. Mitchell Robinson hit Wembanyama with an elbow in the first quarter, resulting in a flagrant foul for the center. Early in the third quarter, Wembanyama elbowed Towns in the face and received a Level I flagrant foul, meaning he now has three flagrant foul points this postseason and is just one away from an automatic suspension.
Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the loss.
Wemby downplayed the need to change their playing style for the remainder of the series after the match.
“Of course I will be more careful. But that won’t change much,” Wembanyama told reporters.
As for the transition to the next game after an exciting match, Wembanyama expressed his and his teammates’ heartache over the defeat.
“I don’t know about the emotions, but it was painful, of course. It feels like we worked too hard and gave up our advantage. It’s that simple. It just hurts,” he said.
for Game 5 on Saturday at Frost Bank Center.
