OG Anunoby’s Game 4 Tip-In Just Completed the Greatest Comeback in NBA Finals History
Down 29. Twelve minutes left. The Knicks were dead. Then they weren’t. Then OG Anunoby crashed the glass between three Spurs defenders, tipped in Jalen Brunson’s missed three with 1.2 seconds remaining, and authored the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. The final was 107-106.
Before Wednesday night, no team had ever come back from more than 24 points down in a Finals game since play-by-play tracking began in 1997. The previous record was Boston over the Lakers in 2008. The Knicks went five better than that. Twenty-nine points. Twelve minutes. On the road in Madison Square Garden’s most important game in 53 years. Storybook stuff.
Anunoby and Brunson Were the Comeback
The two of them combined for 69 points and outscored the entire Spurs roster in the second half. Anunoby finished with 33 on 10-of-17 shooting and seven made threes. Brunson dropped 36, including the late three that rimmed off and led to the tip-in. He also hit the floater that gave New York its first lead at 105-104.
The Spurs had no answer for either of them down the stretch. Victor Wembanyama got into foul trouble. Dylan Harper looked his age for the first time all series. The Spurs’ role players stopped making shots. The Knicks just kept coming.
The Tip-In Itself
With 5.7 seconds left, the Knicks were down one. Brunson got the ball, drove right, pulled up for a three, and watched it bounce off the rim. Three Spurs defenders were in tip-in position. Anunoby snuck through them, leapt early, and got just enough on the ball to redirect it into the basket. 107-106 New York with 1.2 seconds left.
Replays show Anunoby was already in position before the ball even left Brunson’s hand. He’s been doing that all series, anticipating where the offense is going. The Knicks have built their entire defensive identity around him. He showed why the offense can rely on him too.
The Spurs Lost This Game in the First Quarter
This is what’ll haunt San Antonio all summer. They came out and absolutely punched the Knicks in the mouth. They built a 29-point lead through three quarters. They were 12 minutes away from tying the series 2-2 and turning the entire conversation. Then they stopped attacking, started settling, and watched the lead bleed away.
You can blame Wemby’s foul trouble, but he was the only Spur who consistently tried to stay aggressive in the fourth. Stephon Castle disappeared. Devin Vassell never showed up. Mitch Johnson’s bench rotation got lit on fire. The Spurs choked a 29-point lead because they tightened up.
What This Means for Game 5
The Knicks are one win from the franchise’s first title since 1973. Game 5 is Saturday at 8:30 ET on ABC in San Antonio. The Spurs are not in a great mental place. The Knicks have all the confidence in the world plus the historical inevitability of “this is finally our year” energy.
You could see this go either way. Home court is a real thing. The Spurs have been the better team in five of the six halves at home this series. They have Wemby, they have Harper, and they have a desperate fan base. But the Knicks have momentum and a clean rotation. Anunoby just delivered the biggest shot of his life. Brunson is playing like an MVP candidate. That’s hard to slow down.
The Verdict
The Knicks will close it out Saturday. Anunoby’s tip-in won’t just be the moment of the comeback. It’ll be the moment that broke the Spurs and ended the longest title drought in major American sports. Pop the champagne now. New York is bringing the trophy home.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
