The New York Knicks stand on the brink of history, needing just one more win to claim their first NBA title in 53 years. They visit the San Antonio Spurs for Game 5 on Saturday (local time) with a 3-1 lead in the Finals.
In Game 4, the Knicks engineered the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 at home. It surpassed the previous record of 24 points set by the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.
San Antonio led by 20 with 9 minutes 33 seconds left in the final quarter, but just five minutes later, their advantage had shrunk to four points. The decisive play came on a tip-in by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds remaining.
“The games we lost were all close games,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said on Friday. “We still believe we have a chance to win. But we are taking it one game at a time. We’re not looking at needing to win three. We need to win tomorrow, and then we’ll have a chance to play another.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown, trying to end the 53-year title drought, acknowledged the difficulty of closing out the series in San Antonio: “It’s going to be tough. San Antonio is a great team. They are desperate. I still think they believe. It will be tough for us.”
Star Jalen Brunson, who posted 36 points and 7 assists in Game 4, said: “I always tell myself when I wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page. Yes, we won, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to review to make sure we don’t put ourselves in that position again.”
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama posted 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks in Game 4, but shot just 9-of-25 from the field. He has scored at least 24 points in every game of the series, but is shooting just 43.5% overall. “Harder than any game before, for sure,” Wembanyama said of overcoming the Game 4 loss. “I mean, we’re past it now. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret too long.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson acknowledged his team squandered a golden opportunity after scoring 76 points in the first half but only 30 in the second. “It’s unavoidable what happened. All four games have been winnable. We’re down 3-1. There are many ways we can play better. No one is harder on themselves and more accountable than the people in that locker room and to each other. That’s got us to this point and how the group is built,” Johnson said.
Only one team in NBA history has overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals: LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, who defeated a Golden State Warriors team that had 73 regular-season wins.
