OG Anunoby's heroics lift the Knicks above the Spurs in what might be the most historic comeback ever seen in an NBA Finals game (NYK-SAS: 3-1)
- Stefanos Avraamidis
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
Never-back-down New York Knicks proved they have the hearts of champions as they came back from being 29 points down in Game 4, at Madison Square Garden. They are one win away from winning the Title. The San Antonio Spurs seemed as if they had figured things out. Having the momentum after winning Game 3 on the road, they scored 57 points in the first 29 possessions in Game 4, or 1.97 points per trip down the court. They had a fantastic rhythm and went 11-of-16 from the 3-point range, per NBA official site. And then, the Knicks showed the world why their incredible playoff run (nearly a month and a half undefeated) wasn't just a fluke and that their effort should never be written off.
Knicks turning-point was Victor Wembanyama's flagrant foul with 9:27 left in the third quarter. That foul was the start of their comeback, as they went on a 13-0 run after that, cutting Spurs' lead from 29 to 16. San Antonio paid the price of leaving the 3-point line undefended, with both Wembanyama and Kornet stationed in the paint protecting the interior, and Knicks wouldn't let it slide.
Knicks' coach, Mike Brown, said they didn't change much offensively as they kept the same gameplan throughout, but defensively they increased their physicality, making it harder for Spurs players to finish their attempts, without sending them at the free-throw line.
A fair proportion of Spurs problems were self-inflicted, as they showed two opposite performances from the first half to the second. According to coach Mitch Johnson, in the first half Spurs had pace, found the open man in the paint, passed the ball around, took good shots, and the second half was the other way around. Wembanyama missed two free-throws with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter. De'Aaron Fox made two unforced turnovers late in the third quarter, out of 4 in total, but the worst was that late in the fourth he could dribble the ball out and force a foul that would send him to the free-throw line, but instead he drove the ball inside and OG Anunoby blocked his attempt.
The New York Knicks called a timeout. Jalen Brunson missed a long 3, but OG Anunoby towered above everyone to score the tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, completing his heroic quests for Game 4. OG's clutch-gene and 33 points didn't go unnoticed from the NBA as he climbed on the top of NBA Finals MVP Ladder. According to NBA's official site Karl Anthony Towns follows in second place, then is Victor Wembanyama, and after him Jalen Brunson.
Jose Alvarado, whose heart and effort from the bench shouldn't be underestimated, worded it out perfectly. He said, "We all stay connected," on his team's ability to come back from big deficits, "and we believe in each other. That's the main thing."
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