Knicks shock Spurs with largest NBA Finals comeback, take edge

A historic comeback, sealed by a play that may forever be etched into Knicks lore.

The New York Knicks are now one win away from ending a championship drought that has stretched more than five decades, and they did it in unforgettable fashion Wednesday night.

Trailing by 29 points, the Knicks produced the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, rallying to stun the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

Few would argue. With the game hanging in the balance, Jalen Brunson’s deep 3-pointer bounced off the front rim before Anunoby soared above the crowd, extending his right arm to gently guide the ball through the net.

“His right hand came from God,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

The victory leaves the Knicks, owners of just two NBA titles and appearing in their first Finals since 1999, with three opportunities to capture their first championship since 1973. Their first chance comes Saturday night in Game 5 in San Antonio.

It looked impossible early, when the Spurs rolled to a 27-point halftime lead. But Brunson helped bring the Knicks back with 36 points, and Anunoby finished with 33.

No team had come back from more than 24 points down in an NBA Finals game since the league began keeping detailed play-by-play records for all four quarters in 1997. Boston overcame a 24-point deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. 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 NBA playoff game was a 31-point rally 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 and think, ‘OK, let’s get it to 20,'” forward Josh Hart said. “There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘Let’s get it to 10.’

“In the fourth quarter, you’re like, ‘This is winning time. Anything can happen.'”

And it did.

The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak snapped in Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs built the largest halftime lead by a visiting team in NBA Finals history.

But the young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 16 3-point attempts, went cold in the second half, shooting 3 for 17 from beyond the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.

“We got on our heels. We missed some shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Delirious fans inside Madison Square Garden sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” a few minutes after witnessing something that seemed almost impossible.

Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 for 25 from the field.

Road teams had won the first three games, only the second time that had happened in the NBA Finals. San Antonio was well on its way to making it four for four.

President Donald Trump wasn’t at this game. Taylor Swift was. But the same restrictions remained around Madison Square Garden as when Trump attended Game 3. That angered the Knicks, who decided not to move forward with plans to hold an outdoor watch party outside the arena.

Inside the building in the first half, there wasn’t much for the home fans to be happy about, either.

But the Knicks gave themselves a chance by limiting the Spurs to 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter, using a 13-0 run to get back into the game and cutting the deficit to 90-75 entering the fourth.

These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, simply don’t quit. Even when the comeback appeared to be for nothing after Stephon Castle was fouled and made two free throws to put San Antonio back ahead with 30 seconds remaining, the Knicks had one more rally in them.

Dylan Harper scored 21 points, and De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell added 18 apiece for the Spurs, who will try to regroup and send the series back to New York for Game 6 on Tuesday. Only one team, Cleveland in 2016, has recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

“I think it began before that,” Wembanyama said of the Spurs’ collapse. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. We clearly weren’t the hungrier team in the second half.”

Fans booed Wembanyama when he came onto the floor to warm up about an hour before the game, and the Knicks tried to play physically against him. Mitchell Robinson was called for a flagrant foul for hitting him above the shoulders, and Jose Alvarado was reviewed for a possible flagrant after making contact below the belt.

Wembanyama, who was also assessed a flagrant foul, held his own against the Knicks but will regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 remaining and San Antonio leading 104-103.

The Spurs raced to a 12-2 lead, giving them a double-digit advantage in the first quarter of all four games. They kept pouring it on and led 41-22 after one quarter, then extended the margin to 57-32 when Julian Champagnie’s 3-pointer made them 11 for 16 from beyond the arc.

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