The New York Knicks are one victory away from capturing their first NBA championship since 1973 after completing the largest comeback in finals history on Wednesday night. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4, giving them a 3-1 series lead heading into Saturday's Game 5 in San Antonio.
The Knicks mounted an extraordinary rally from a 29-point deficit, a margin that seemed insurmountable for most of the evening. OG Anunoby delivered the game-winning basket with 1.2 seconds remaining, tipping in a missed three-pointer from Jalen Brunson to send the home crowd into celebration. The victory represents the greatest comeback the NBA finals has ever witnessed.
The Spurs dominated the early stages of the contest, racing to a 41-22 lead after the first quarter while making 11 of their first 16 attempts from beyond the arc. San Antonio extended their advantage to 76-49 by halftime, the largest half-time lead by a visiting team in NBA finals history. Their lead ballooned to 29 points before the Knicks began their unlikely recovery.
New York's turnaround began in the third quarter when they held San Antonio to just 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting. The Spurs managed only three points from Victor Wembanyama during this period. A decisive 28-9 run in the fourth quarter transformed the game entirely, with the Knicks converting defensive stops into fast-break opportunities that shifted momentum dramatically.
Brunson delivered the go-ahead basket with 1 minute 22 seconds remaining, putting New York up 105-104. After the Spurs retook the lead on free throws, Brunson's contested three-pointer at the buzzer missed, but Anunoby slipped through the defense for the winning tip-in.
Anunoby finished with 33 points and made seven of nine three-point attempts, both career playoff highs. Brunson added 36 points and seven assists in the victory. Jose Alvarado contributed eight crucial points off the bench during the fourth-quarter surge.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Dylan Harper added 21 points. De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each scored 18 for San Antonio, which was outscored 58-30 in the second half and managed just 3-for-17 shooting from three-point range after intermission.
The Knicks can secure the franchise's third championship in team history with a victory on Saturday. Only one team in NBA finals history, LeBron James's 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, has recovered from a 3-1 series deficit to claim the title. The Spurs must replicate that feat to keep their championship hopes alive.