Nobody expected a blowout at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, but nobody expected this kind of history either. Down 29 points in the first half of Game 4, the New York Knicks looked absolutely dead. The San Antonio Spurs were running them out of their own building, silencing a celebrity-row crowd that included a glum-faced Ben Stiller and Larry David.
Then the impossible happened. New York scraped all the way back to secure a 107-106 victory, breaking the all-time record for the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The previous record belonged to the 2008 Los Angeles Lakers, who rallied from 24 down against the Boston Celtics. The Knicks blew past that number by erasing a nearly 30-point deficit, putting themselves just one win away from their first NBA championship since 1973.
If you want to understand how a 29-point hole turned into a 3-1 series lead, you have to look past the box score. This wasn't just about hot shooting. It was a masterclass in defensive adjustments, late-game conditioning, and sheer mental resilience.
The Anatomy of a 29 Point Collapse
The first half was an absolute horror show for New York. San Antonio jumped out to a stunning 41-20 lead by the end of the first quarter and stretched that margin to 29 in the second frame. The Spurs hit everything they threw at the rim, pacing themselves to a 76-49 halftime advantage.
Victor Wembanyama completely anchored the paint early on. He finished the night with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, altering dozens of other shots just by standing near the restricted area. Karl-Anthony Towns got buried in early foul trouble, limiting him to just 26 minutes of action. With New York's primary interior threat on the bench, the Spurs got whatever they wanted. Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper caught fire from the perimeter, combining for 39 points and making the Garden sound like a library.
The Turning Point in the Fourth Quarter
The third quarter ended with San Antonio still firmly in control at 90-75. That's when New York flipped the script. The Knicks opened the final frame with a blistering 28-9 run over a seven-minute stretch.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau ditched the standard drop coverage against De'Aaron Fox and started throwing hard traps at the level of the screen. This forced the ball out of Fox's hands and into the possession of younger, less experienced decision-makers like Stephon Castle. The defensive pressure caused immediate chaos. Castle turned the ball over by stepping out of bounds under heavy duress, and the Spurs completely lost their offensive rhythm.
New York transformed every single defensive stop into a high-speed transition opportunity. They didn't let Wembanyama get back and set up his defense. By running the floor before the 7-foot-4 center could establish himself in the paint, the Knicks completely neutralized San Antonio's greatest asset.
How Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby Stole Game 4
You can't talk about this game without talking about Jalen Brunson. He put the entire franchise on his back, logging 44 grueling minutes on the court. After starting the game cold, Brunson finished with 36 points and seven assists. His driving layup with 1:22 left gave the Knicks their very first lead of the entire night at 105-104.
But Brunson didn't do it alone. OG Anunoby turned in the performance of his career, dropping 33 points while shooting a ridiculous 7-for-9 from behind the three-point arc. He also played lock-down defense on Vassell in the second half, completely cutting off the water for San Antonio's perimeter attack.
The Right Hand from God
The final sequence will be replayed in New York sports lore for the next fifty years. After Stephon Castle knocked down two clutch free throws to put the Spurs back up 106-105, the Knicks had one possession to save the game.
Brunson took the ball up the court, isolated at the top of the key, and launched a contested three-pointer with just seconds remaining on the clock. It missed. But while the entire Spurs defense watched the flight of the ball, Anunoby sprinted from the corner, timed his leap perfectly, and tipped the ball back into the hoop with 1.2 seconds left. Towns later called it the "right hand from God." It was the ultimate hustle play to cap off the ultimate comeback.
What San Antonio Must Fix Before Game 5
The series moves back to San Antonio on Saturday night for Game 5. If the Spurs want to avoid watching the Knicks celebrate a championship on their home floor, head coach Gregg Popovich has to make some serious changes to his rotation.
Wembanyama played 44 minutes in Game 4, matching Brunson for the game-high. Down the stretch, the fatigue was obvious. He shot just 9-for-25 from the field and went an abysmal 4-for-7 from the free-throw line. Popovich needs to find a way to rest his star center for short two-minute clusters in the second half so he has enough legs to finish games.
San Antonio also needs to handle the blitz better. When New York started trapping the pick-and-roll, the Spurs offense panicked. They stopped moving the ball from side to side and settled for late-clock isolation plays against a set Knicks defense. Passing out of the trap early and finding the weak-side cutter is the only way to beat Thibodeau's aggressive scheme.
The Knicks proved that no lead is safe against them. They have all the momentum, a 3-1 lead, and the look of a championship team. Expect New York to come out swinging early on Saturday to try and close the door for good.
