To secure an outcome that once appeared impossible, OG Anunoby performed a spectacular feat on a night the New York Knicks produced many of them.
Moments after throwing an inbounds pass to the Knicks’ top closer, Anunoby darted to the basket just as Jalen Brunson threw up a 3. The ball hit the front of the rim, giving the unguarded Anunoby enough space to make one of the most spectacular plays in the Knicks’ franchise history. Anunoby cut through the lane while all five Spurs players focused on Brunson and the ball. Then, Anunoby leaped in the air and tipped the ball into the basket with 1.2 seconds left. Following their defensive stop on the Spurs’ inbounds pass, the Knicks walked off the Madison Square Garden with an unexpected prize.
The Knicks prevailed with a 107-106 win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday after trailing by as many as 29 points. New York holds a 3-1 series lead and can close out in a decisive Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday to hoist their first NBA championship trophy in 53 years. Perhaps the Spurs protect leads better in Game 5 before a supportive home crowd. Yet, the third-seeded Knicks have shown their resilience and chemistry can prevail over a Spurs team whose inexperienced mistakes have overshadowed their talented youth.
The outcome left both the courtside celebrities and upper-deck diehards displaying joy, laughter and tears. The Knicks pulled off something as dramatic as Willis Reed’s famous entrance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals after missing Game 6 with an injured right thigh. The Knicks have shown the grittiness that they displayed in the ‘90s when they went head-to-head against Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers. Those Knicks almost won the 1994 NBA title over the Houston Rockets in a competitive seven-game series for the same reason.
The Spurs represent the NBA’s future, but they don’t seem ready to join the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers as the only team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit. Besides, the Knicks have become a more formidable opponent than in the 1999 NBA Finals when San Antonio’s David Robinson and Tim Duncan disposed them in five games.
It seemed fitting that Anunoby would provide the exclamation point to the Knicks’ come-back victory. This team has become a legitimate NBA title contender not because of star power, but because of collective grit, teamwork and belief.
Anunoby made his game-winning putback on the same night he posted 33 points while shooting 10-for-15 from the field, 7-for-9 from 3 and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. But Anunoby typically elevates the Knicks as one of their defensive anchors and complementary scorers. Brunson (36 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (13 points, 10 rebounds) represent the Knicks’ stars, but they did not carry this resilient team alone. The Knicks also had to overcome Brunson’s early shooting struggles through the first half (6-for-14) and Towns early foul trouble (two of his four fouls within the game’s first 63 seconds).
No wonder the Spurs initially cruised with a 76-49 half-time lead.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama baited Towns and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson into fouls. Wembanyama remained aggressive with shots at the rim and from 3 along with both fundamentally-sound defense when the officials watched and with unnecessary shoves when the officials looked away. San Antonio shot a collective 11-for-16 from deep, essentially sapping away any effort the Knicks made to rectify their unexpected Game 3 loss in their first Finals home in 27 years.
The Knicks still pledged to compete, and their actions validated they didn’t just give performative half-time pep talks. New York opened the second half on a 13-0 run. They forced Spurs guard Stephon Castle into collecting his fifth foul midway through the third quarter. They limited San Antonio to a 4-for-20 mark overall.
The Spurs still held a 90-75 lead leading into the fourth quarter, but the Knicks kept deflating that cushion. Just as when New York overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks imposed their will in the final period against San Antonio.
Brunson scored nine of his 36 points on a 3-for-4 clip in the final quarter. He drilled a 3 over Wembanyama to cut the Spurs’ lead to 104-103 with 2:21 remaining. On the next possession, Brunson drove past Castle and made a floating bankshot to give the Knicks their first lead of the game (105-104 with 1:22 left). In between, Brunson’s teammates filled in the gaps.
Towns scored five points midway through the fourth quarter after going scoreless for the final period through the first three Finals games. Shortly after stealing the ball and missing a fast-break layup, Knicks guard Josh Hart stopped Castle on a baseline drive and forced him out of bounds. Anunoby made a deep 3, fouled Wembanyama before he missed two crucial free throws at the 1:47 mark and blocked De’Aaron Fox’s layup with 11.1 seconds left.
Anunoby made his dramatic game-winning tipin moments later, a play that defined the Knicks’ resilience. It also inspired an impassioned franchise and fanbase that senses they can finally celebrate the end of their 53-year championship drought.
