Knicks one-win away from NBA Title after historic comeback in Game 4

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49025502/knicks-brink-title-historic-comeback-vs-spurs

NBA teams were 4-750 in the playoffs when down by 20-plus points in the fourth quarter in the playoffs in the last 30 years (per NBA stats expert Keerthika Uthayakumar).

In the first half, the Spurs set a record for most 3-pointers made in a half in Finals history with 14.

The Spurs scored 76 points in the first half, the most points in the first half by a road team in NBA Finals history.

The Spurs' 41-22 advantage after one quarter — a 19-point difference — was the largest first quarter lead by a road team in Finals history.

The Knicks shot 29.4% in the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the Knicks had committed 7 turnovers — compared to just 2 by San Antonio — yielding to a -11 differential in points off turnovers. On defense, New York was all over the place and allowed the Spurs to lace 14-of-26 attempts (53.8%) from beyond the arc, setting the record for most 3-pointers in a half in NBA Finals history.

The second half was an entirely different story.

Improbably, the Spurs missed 31 of their 39 second-half field goal attempts and 14 of their 17 3-point attempts. They shot just 20.5% from the floor as they first watched the Knicks cut their lead to 20, then to 10, then to 5 points before the Knicks finally completed what would have seemed an unthinkable comeback.

By 2.1 seconds, Anunoby's fingers were on the ball, touching history.

"You have to have a little luck in life," Brown said. "You've got to have a little luck in sports. But you can also make your luck too. So you've got to have some natural luck and some luck where you're going to make your own luck, and that was probably the biggest message."

Anunoby was intent on not leaving anything to chance, chasing down Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox to block a layup attempt with 11.7 seconds left when Fox could have held on to the ball and gotten fouled as San Antonio was nursing a one-point lead.

Fox made several critical errors late that held the door ajar for a Knicks comeback, and Anunoby, who has never made an All-Star team, put himself in position to win NBA Finals MVP with his steady performance through four games.

"We know it's a game of runs," said Anunoby, who is averaging 23.8 points per game on 58% shooting this series. "We're a resilient group. We've been through a lot. We've come back plenty of times when we're behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated. Just staying with it, cut down to 18, cut it down to six, push it through. It's a 48-minute game, just play 'til the end."

More than a couple of shots bounced around the rim before the Knicks completed the comeback that eclipsed the previous record: the Boston Celtics' rallying from down 24 against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the 2008 Finals.

Both rallies resulted in the winning team taking a 3-1 lead, and the Celtics clinched that series in six games to end their 12-year title drought. The Knicks are about 72 hours away from a chance at ending five decades of championship futility.

Jose Alvarado was noted as an unsung contributor, as Brown turned to him late to take Brunson off the ball and present another option. All eight of his points came in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for Anunoby and Brunson to bring things home.

"It's unbelievable," Brown said. "You know, the tip, how he had to control it and tip it in, and then like I said, you know, that has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball."

These Knicks have made a habit of late comebacks in the playoffs, never fully allowing themselves to believe they were out of a game. The Spurs shot 20% in the second half after shooting a blistering 60% in the first 24 minutes, and some fans were booing as the Knicks left the floor at halftime down 27.

Brown didn't show much film and didn't address the team for a while at the break, preferring to let the players ruminate in their thoughts. All the work they had done in winning two games in San Antonio was about to be erased, and the massive expectations seemed to be suffocating.

"Really wasn't that much to be said at that point," Brunson said. "It was really just we need to chip away. We need to hit singles, get on base and make plays from there."

The Knicks were out of character in the first half. They were intent on laying wood to Victor Wembanyama after Wembanyama's shove of Brunson in Game 3 but seemingly abandoned their principles as the Spurs hit everything in sight. Karl-Anthony Towns was in early foul trouble, and Mitchell Robinson picked up a flagrant foul 1 for nailing Wembanyama in the face with a forearm in plain sight of the officials.

But soon after the third quarter began, it became apparent the Knicks were going to make a game of it; it was reminiscent of Game 1 of the East finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when they stormed back from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn the win in overtime and effectively end that series before it started.