Two games at Madison Square Garden. Two completely different stories. And one of the most extraordinary moments in NBA Finals history.
The Spurs came to New York and won Game 3 behind a dominant Wembanyama fourth quarter. Then in Game 4, San Antonio built a 29-point lead, the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history, and watched the Knicks erase all of it. OG Anunoby's tip-in with seconds remaining sealed a 107-106 win and put New York one game away from its first NBA Championship since 1973.
Game 3: Wembanyama Silences the Garden
The Knicks had not played a Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999. The crowd was as loud as it has been all postseason. It was not enough.
New York dominated the second quarter, a 42-point effort that gave them a 64-57 halftime lead and seemed to set the tone. Then San Antonio came out of the locker room with something to prove.
The Spurs outscored the Knicks 35-27 in the third quarter, retook the lead, and leaned on their best player when it mattered most. Victor Wembanyama scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, controlling the game with a combination of scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking that made him look completely unguardable. He finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals, becoming the second-youngest player in Finals history to post a 30-5-5, joining Magic Johnson on that list.
With under two minutes remaining and the Knicks threatening, Stephon Castle buried a three-pointer to push the Spurs' lead to 111-104. The Garden went quiet. Castle finished with 23 points and was the second-best player on the floor. Brunson scored 32 for New York, 12 of those in the fourth, but the Knicks went 0-for-9 from three in the final quarter, and that cold stretch ended the night.
Final: Spurs 115, Knicks 111. New York still led the series 2-1, but the Knicks' 13-game playoff winning streak was over.
Game 4: The Largest Comeback in NBA Finals History
What happened in Game 4 will be talked about for a long time.
The Spurs came out with a performance for the ages in the first half. San Antonio hit 14 three-pointers in the first two quarters, setting an NBA Finals single-half record, and led 76-49 at the break. The Knicks looked lifeless. MSG had gone from electric to stunned. ESPN Analytics put New York's win probability at 0.4 percent, one in 250.
Then the Spurs stopped making threes. They went 3-for-17 from deep in the second half. And the Knicks woke up.
The comeback began quietly in the third quarter: a 13-0 run, a Josh Hart three, the deficit creeping back below 20. The Spurs answered and pushed their lead back to 95-75 in the early fourth. Still seemingly insurmountable.
Then Brunson took over. He answered every Spurs basket, kept the deficit from stabilizing, and dragged the Knicks back one possession at a time. With 4:34 left, OG Anunoby hit a three from the left corner, the shot that felt like the real turning point, to cut it to four. The Garden erupted. The Spurs, who had looked unbeatable three hours earlier, were suddenly shaking.
Anunoby made one of the defensive plays of the series in the final seconds, blocking De'Aaron Fox and giving New York one last chance. Brunson took the final possession and launched a three that hit the front of the rim. Anunoby, crashing the offensive glass, leaped between Spurs defenders and tipped the ball in. Game over.
Knicks 107, Spurs 106. The largest comeback in NBA Finals history: 29 points.
Anunoby finished with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three. Brunson had 36 points and 7 assists. The Knicks outscored San Antonio 58-30 in the second half.
Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds on 9-of-25 shooting. He was called for a flagrant foul (penalty 1) after an inadvertent elbow to Karl-Anthony Towns, pushing him to three flagrant foul points for the postseason. One more and he faces an automatic one-game suspension. After the game, he said simply: "It just hurts."
Where the Series Stands
The Knicks lead 3-1 and are one win from their first NBA Championship since 1973, and their third championship overall.
This San Antonio team is young and talented enough to make Game 5 uncomfortable. Wembanyama showed in Game 3 exactly what he is capable of, and the first half of Game 4 showed the Spurs can impose their will on any team in the league for long stretches. But they could not hold a 29-point lead at MSG, and Brunson has now closed two Finals games in the final seconds. He is the best player left in these playoffs, and he knows it.
Game 5 is Saturday night at the Spurs' home arena. San Antonio needs to win three straight games to take the title. The Knicks need one.
For New York, the city that has been waiting 53 years: one win.
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