They got comfortable on their heels. We missed some shots.
In the long arc of New York's sporting heartbreak, Wednesday night offered something rare — a reminder that deficits, even enormous ones, are not always destiny. The Knicks erased a 29-point halftime deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the largest comeback in Finals history, and now stand one victory away from their first championship since 1973. It was a night when the mathematics of the game surrendered to something harder to quantify.
- The Spurs led 81-52 entering the fourth quarter, having shot 11-of-16 from three in the first half — a performance that made the outcome feel like a formality.
- San Antonio's shooting collapsed entirely after halftime, going 3-of-17 from deep, while the Knicks outscored them 58-30 over the final two quarters.
- Jalen Brunson orchestrated the rally with 36 points, and OG Anunoby delivered the finishing blow — tipping in a missed three with 1.2 seconds left to seal a 107-106 win.
- The comeback surpasses Boston's 24-point Finals record from 2008 and stands as the second-largest in all of playoff history, behind only the Clippers' 31-point rally in 2019.
- The Knicks now lead 3-1 and need one more win to end a 53-year championship drought; the Spurs, who won the first three games, must win Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday to survive.
The New York Knicks were down 29 points at halftime on Wednesday night. By the time the final buzzer sounded, they had erased it entirely — stealing a 107-106 victory from the San Antonio Spurs and moving within one win of their first championship since 1973.
With 1.2 seconds remaining, OG Anunoby tipped in a missed three-pointer from Jalen Brunson to complete the reversal. The Knicks now lead the Finals 3-1. The Spurs, who had controlled the game for three quarters and led 81-52 entering the fourth, suddenly face elimination.
San Antonio had shot 11 of their first 16 three-pointers in the first half. Then the second half arrived. The Spurs managed just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc after intermission while the Knicks outscored them 58-30 over the final two quarters. Brunson finished with 36 points. Anunoby added 33. Victor Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 of 25 from the field. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson offered no excuses: 'We got comfortable on our heels. It's disappointing, to say the least.'
The comeback is the largest in NBA Finals history since the league began tracking play-by-play data in 1997, surpassing Boston's 24-point rally against the Lakers in 2008. Only the Clippers' 31-point comeback against Golden State in 2019 stands larger in all of playoff history.
Inside Madison Square Garden, the crowd had little reason for hope through the first half. But as the Knicks chipped away, the arena came alive. When Anunoby's fingertip found the rim and fell through, fans erupted into 'Don't Stop Believin'' — a moment that seemed to capture everything improbable about the night.
Game 5 is Saturday in San Antonio. If the Spurs win, the series returns to New York for Game 6. But the momentum has shifted. The Knicks, who have now erased deficits of 22 and 29 points in these playoffs, are one victory away from ending a drought that stretches back more than half a century.
The New York Knicks were down 29 points at halftime on Wednesday night. By the time the final buzzer sounded, they had erased that deficit entirely and stolen a 107-106 victory from the San Antonio Spurs, moving within one win of their first championship in more than five decades.
With 1.2 seconds remaining, OG Anunoby tipped in a missed three-pointer from Jalen Brunson to complete the improbable reversal. The Knicks now lead the Finals 3-1, needing just one more victory to claim the title. The Spurs, who had won the first three games, suddenly face elimination.
What made Wednesday's collapse so stunning was the magnitude of the hole San Antonio had dug. The Spurs led 81-52 entering the fourth quarter, having shot lights out from distance in the first half—connecting on 11 of their first 16 three-pointers. But the second half told a different story. San Antonio managed only 3 of 17 from beyond the arc after intermission while the Knicks outscored them 58-30 over the final two quarters. Brunson finished with 36 points, orchestrating the rally. Anunoby added 33. Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs' young centerpiece, had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 of 25 from the field.
The comeback ranks as the largest in NBA Finals history since the league began tracking play-by-play data in 1997. Boston had previously held the record, erasing a 24-point deficit against the Lakers in 2008. Only once in all of playoff history has a team mounted a larger comeback—the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 31 points down against Golden State in 2019.
The Knicks had already shown resilience earlier in these Finals, erasing a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. But this was different. The Spurs had controlled the game for three quarters. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio's coach, acknowledged the collapse without excuses. "We got comfortable on our heels," he said. "We missed some shots. It's disappointing, to say the least."
Inside Madison Square Garden, the crowd had little reason for hope through the first half. But as the Knicks chipped away, the arena came alive. When Anunoby's fingertip found the rim and fell through, fans erupted into a chorus of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"—a moment that seemed to capture the improbability of what they had just witnessed.
The Spurs will have a chance to regroup. Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday night in San Antonio. If they win, the series returns to New York for Game 6 on Tuesday. But the momentum has shifted decisively. The Knicks, who have shown they will not surrender even when the mathematics of the game suggest they should, are now one victory away from ending a championship drought that stretches back to 1973.
Notable Quotes
We got comfortable on our heels. We missed some shots. It's disappointing, to say the least.— Mitch Johnson, Spurs coach
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
How does a team blow a 29-point lead in the Finals? That's not just a bad quarter—that's a structural collapse.
The Spurs got comfortable. They shot 11 of 16 from three in the first half and thought they had figured it out. Then the Knicks adjusted defensively and San Antonio went 3 of 17 from distance after halftime. When you're that far ahead, you stop playing desperate. The Knicks never stopped.
Brunson and Anunoby combined for 69 points. Were they just unstoppable, or did the Spurs defense actually break?
Both. Brunson had 36 and Anunoby had 33, but more importantly, the Spurs stopped making shots. You can't win a Finals game shooting 3 of 17 from three in the second half, no matter how good your opponent plays. San Antonio's young team lost its rhythm.
Wembanyama had 24 and 13. Why didn't he carry them down the stretch?
He shot 9 of 25. And he missed two crucial free throws late with the Spurs up 104-103. In a one-point game, those possessions matter. The Knicks' defense got physical with him—flagrant fouls were called both ways—and he never quite found his footing.
This is the second-largest comeback in playoff history. Does that change how we think about these Knicks?
It tells you they have something most teams don't: they genuinely believe they can come back. They erased 22 points in the fourth quarter earlier in these Finals. That's not luck. That's a team that refuses to accept the scoreboard.
What happens in San Antonio on Saturday?
The Spurs have to win. If they don't, the Knicks bring the trophy home for the first time since 1973. But San Antonio has home court and momentum in the opposite direction now. They've been here before—they know how to respond.