The Knicks rally from 29 down to win 107-106 and take a 3-1 series lead over the Spurs
OG Anunoby tips in history at Madison Square Garden
There have been great moments in Madison Square Garden. There have been legendary nights in New York basketball. But nothing that has ever happened inside the world’s most famous arena quite looked like what unfolded Wednesday night, when OG Anunoby reached up with his right hand and tipped in the greatest shot in Knicks history, completing the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and sending New York to the brink of its first championship in 53 years.
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-106, rallying from 29 points down to take a 3-1 series lead. Anunoby’s tip-in off a missed Jalen Brunson 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining was the difference, one that coach Mike Brown called the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.
How the comeback happened
It did not look like a comeback was coming. The Spurs shot a blistering 60% in the first half and built a 27-point halftime lead. Fans were booing as the Knicks left the floor. Karl-Anthony Towns was in early foul trouble and Mitchell Robinson picked up a flagrant foul on Victor Wembanyama. The deficit reached 29 points in the second half before New York began to chip away.
Brown addressed his team calmly at halftime, choosing not to show much film and letting the players sit with their thoughts. His message was simple: cut it to 20, then cut it to 18, then keep going. The Knicks began doing exactly that when the third quarter resumed. Towns finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Brunson scored 36 points. Jose Alvarado came off the bench and scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter, giving the Knicks another scoring option down the stretch and helping set the stage for the finish.
The final 16 seconds
With the Knicks trailing 106-105, Brunson launched a floating jumper from five feet with 16 seconds left and missed. The rebound was deflected into the backcourt, where Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was first to the ball with a clear path to the basket. What looked like a dagger layup was denied by Anunoby, who tracked Fox from behind for a crucial chase-down block that kept the Knicks alive.
Fox had committed several costly errors in the closing minutes, any one of which could have secured the win for San Antonio. The block forced a scramble, and after a foul gave the Knicks possession, the arena fell quiet in anticipation. Brown had specifically challenged Anunoby before the game to be more aggressive on the offensive glass. When Brunson launched his deep 3-pointer over Fox and Wembanyama with 4.3 seconds left and it rattled short, Anunoby outreached Spurs rookies Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell for the ball, guiding it softly through the net with his fingertips.
The building erupted. The Knicks led 107-106 with 1.2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds, Stephon Castle fumbled a pass and could not get a shot off. Final score: Knicks 107, Spurs 106.
A record for the ages
The comeback surpassed the previous NBA Finals record, set when the Boston Celtics rallied from 24 points down against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the 2008 Finals. The Celtics went on to win that series in six games. Both comebacks gave the winning team a 3-1 lead in the series.
Anunoby finished with 33 points, a playoff career high, including seven 3-pointers. He is averaging 23.8 points on 58% shooting through four Finals games and is now firmly in the conversation for Finals MVP. His performance drew praise from teammates who acknowledged how close the moment came to going the other way. Josh Hart, who missed a wide-open go-ahead layup late and fouled Castle on a put-back attempt that gave the Spurs a one-point lead, said Anunoby saved him a lifetime of regret with the tip-in.
What it means for New York
The Knicks have not won an NBA title since 1973. They are now one win away. Game 5 gives them their first chance to close it out, and the city that watched them survive elimination rounds, storm back from deficits all postseason and pull off the greatest comeback in Finals history is now 48 hours away from the moment they have been waiting more than five decades for.
Brown let the moment speak for itself. What happened, he said, was history.