Starting 5: Knicks complete epic comeback in Game 4, go up 3-1 in Finals - NBA.com

A legendary comeback. An iconic putback. An unforgettable sports moment. In the largest rally in NBA Finals history, the Knicks turned a 29-point deficit into a victory that will never be forgotten – moving one win shy of an NBA title. 5 STORIES IN TODAY'S EDITION 🏀 For The Ages: Anunoby's tip-in caps all-time rally at MSG as Knicks take 3-1 Finals lead Pure Bedlam: The basketball world can't believe what it just saw Never-Over Knicks: Inside New York’s latest miracle at MSG, as told by the team Hand Of OG: Anunoby’s block, tip-in, and two-way heroics lead Steve Aschburner’s Game 4 takeaways Alvarado Answers: Knicks get unlikely boost from Alvarado in heat of 4th quarter BUT FIRST ... ⏰ With New York up 3-1, the Finals shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC). Will the Knicks claim their first title since 1973, or will the Spurs force a Game 6? Game 3 of the Finals averaged 23.8 million viewers on ABC & ESPN, making it the most-watched Finals Game 3 in 28 years (since Bulls-Jazz in 1998). 1. INSTANT CLASSIC: KNICKS RALLY FROM 29 DOWN FOR 3-1 FINALS LEAD For 24 minutes, the Spurs played one of the most dominant halves in NBA Finals history. For the next 24, the Knicks delivered a comeback the Finals had never seen before. A comeback basketball had never seen before. A comeback that will live in sports lore. Knicks 107, Spurs 106: Trailing by 29 early in the 3rd quarter, New York completed the largest comeback in Finals history, outscoring San Antonio 58-30 in the 2nd half, capped by OG Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left to give the Knicks a 3-1 Finals lead. | Recap | Must-See Comeback Closing Heroes: Anunoby (33 pts, 7-9 3pm, 1 blk) and Brunson (36 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl) combined for 69 points, including 36 in the 2nd half, where they outscored the Spurs by themselves Opening Heat: But before their legendary close in clutch time, the night started with an unprecedented Spurs avalanche … Early Eruption: The Spurs dropped 41 points in the 1st quarter on six 3s. By halftime, they had drilled 14 triples – a Finals record for a half – for a 76-49 lead. All Cylinders: Victor Wembanyama (24 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk) had 16 points at the break, Devin Vassell (18 pts, 5 reb, 5 3s) was 5-of-5 from deep and seven different Spurs had made a 3 All Spurs: Their 76 1st-half points were the 2nd-most in a Finals half in the play-by-play era, opening up a 27-point lead It was the 3rd-largest halftime lead in Finals history. No team in Playoff history had ever come back from such a halftime deficit, let alone the Finals. But San Antonio wasn’t done. Its lead soon swelled to 29 with 9:40 left in the 3rd. It was 81-52. Madison Square Garden was stunned. The Spurs couldn’t miss. The Knicks had no answers. But they didn't give up. A Glimmer: An Anunoby dunk, and triples from himself, Brunson and Josh Hart helped fuel a 13-0 burst A Spark: The Knicks closed the quarter on a 23-9 run, capped by another Anunoby 3 to trim the lead to 15 entering the 4th The Garden Was Coming Alive: What felt impossible 30 minutes earlier suddenly felt within reach But the Spurs pushed back. After trading buckets, Wembanyama put San Antonio up 95-75 with 9:33 left. Just when it felt like New York had life, it faced another mountain. Entering Wednesday, Playoff teams were just 4-733 when trailing by 20+ points in the 4th quarter in the play-by-play era. That’s a 0.5% win rate. And in the Finals, it had never been done. Forty-five teams had tried Forty-five teams had failed But those teams weren't the New York Knicks. It Started With Rain: Jose Alvarado, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anunoby all hit 3s amid a 13-2 run, capped by a tough KAT bucket inside MSG Was Back On Its Feet: Brunson came alive, scoring four straight points, and timely 3s from Anunoby and Alvarado had the Knicks within four (104-100) It Was A 25-9 Run: The comeback was suddenly back on, the Garden was deafening and Brunson wasn’t done With 2:21 left, he pulled from deep, over the outstretched arms of Wembanyama … “PUTS IT IN!” exclaimed ABC’s Mike Breen. “One-point game! This building is shaking right now!” Fifty-nine seconds later, the ball was back in Brunson’s hands, and "Captain Clutch" delivered again – dropping in a floater with 1:22 left to make it a 105-104 game For the first time, the Knicks were in front. But Stephon Castle didn't blink, hitting two free throws on the ensuing possession to put San Antonio back on top. Then came chaos. A loose-ball rebound sprung De'Aaron Fox into the open floor for what looked like a game-sealing layup But Anunoby came flying in from behind, pinning the ball against the backboard before the Knicks recovered the ball and took a timeout with six seconds left New York had one more chance to pull off the impossible. Naturally, the ball found Brunson. He received the inbounds near midcourt, attacked into a quick double-team and launched a 31-footer The shot hit the front rim and bounced high into the air, hanging above a crowd of players gathered beneath the basket As players from both teams wrestled for rebound position, another white jersey came soaring in from the perimeter It was Anunoby. Sprinting in untouched, he flew through the crowd and stretched out his right arm, getting just enough of the ball to redirect it toward the rim. It dropped. Madison Square Garden erupted. “IT'S GOOD! IT'S GOOD! IT'S GOOD!" exclaimed Mike Breen. "Bedlam here at the Garden – they can’t believe it!” | See The Winner From All Angles One stop later, the Knicks had done the impossible. A 29-point deficit had become a one-point win A game that looked lost had become an all-time classic A missed shot had become a legendary make The Knicks stood one win away from an NBA title "Unbelievable," said Knicks coach Mike Brown postgame. "That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball." Said Jalen Brunson: “There’s one word that captures that all ... believe." 2. HOOPS WORLD ERUPTS OVER ALL-TIME CLASSIC “Absolutely stunning.” – Mike Breen "We are paid to talk, and me and are over here speechless." – ABC’s Richard Jefferson “I can't believe what I just saw.” – Charles Barkley As the Knicks stormed back from 29 down, disbelief spread far beyond Madison Square Garden. From celebrities courtside to NBA legends, current stars and fans worldwide, the hoops world erupted as New York pulled off the impossible. AJ's Angle: Player Correspondent and standout 2026 NBA Draft prospect AJ Dybantsa witnessed the finish live and could only sum it up in three words: "OH. MY. GOD!" Epicenter Of Madness: Witness what the largest comeback in Finals history felt like from the floor as our All-Access team joined the celebration seconds after the final buzzer 'Melo Approved: Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony found Brunson on the floor moments after the win, embracing New York's captain after an unforgettable win Tunnel Bedlam: Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller jumped for joy alongside Knicks fans in the tunnel after the game – and Kylie Jenner was all smiles taking it in T-Swift Feeling It: Taylor Swift danced her way off the floor as the postgame celebration spilled throughout Madison Square Garden Central Park Pandemonium: The final buzzer sparked scenes of pure euphoria at the Central Park watch party as thousands celebrated the comeback The disbelief wasn't limited to New York. Players, media members and fans from across the basketball world flooded social media with reactions to one of the wildest finishes in Finals history. Lonzo Ball (via X): “That was actually crazy” Ja Morant (via X): “wow 🤯🔥” Jaylen Brown (via X): “OG Anunoby is different” Max Kellerman (via X): “That was one of the greatest basketball games of all time” Jared Weiss (via X): “The Knicks are a magical team. This is the pinnacle of sports.” Jamal Crawford (via X): “The ICONIC Garden, just saw the greatest night it’s ever had … 3. THE NEVER-SAY-NEVER KNICKS DID IT AGAIN. BUT HOW? Down by double-digits in each game of these Finals. Down by 27 points at halftime on Wednesday. In danger of seeing their once 2-0 series lead erased, the Knicks needed a shift. “The coaches didn't want to show any film to the guys,” coach Mike Brown said of halftime. “We let them sit for a bit, talk amongst themselves …” “Long time to play still. We've got to get a little lucky. But let's do what we do, so we can make some of that luck happen.” What these Knicks do is play fast, move the ball and mount some of the game’s most massive comebacks. “And the last thing that we said to them was: Let's cut it to around 15 to 17 going into the fourth, and if we do, we'll give ourselves a chance,” said Brown That’s because of this team’s now-historic list of historic rallies: The 22-point comeback, across the 4th quarter and OT, in Game 1 of the East Finals against Cleveland on May 19 A pair of 20-point turnarounds in Games 1 & 2 of last year’s East Semis, in Boston Erasing an 18-point gap in the 4th against the Rockets on Feb. 21 The 17-point Christmas Day comeback, in the final frame, against Cleveland again “‘We're fine. Stay with it, we're fine,’” OG Anunoby said of his halftime message. “We've come back plenty of times when we're behind.” Drawing on their confidence and a roadmap from that resumé of rallies, the Knicks did exactly what Brown asked despite trailing 90-75 when the 4th began. The gap grew to 20 before the Knicks' turnaround really got rolling, resulting in the first Finals win of the play-by-play era by a team trailing by 20+ in the 4th Zoom Out: The Playoffs as a whole in that span (since 1998) have only seen five 20+ point 4th-quarter comebacks Signature Stat: The Knicks have now claimed two of those five – in the last month – between Wednesday’s stunner and Game 1 against Cleveland One & Ninety-Six: When down 17+ inside the final 9 minutes of regulation, teams had been 0-96 in the Finals since 1970-71. New York was down 95-78 with 8:59 remaining “When you do it once, you know you can do it again,” Anunoby said. “You never want to be down, but that's how it goes.” Also helping? “Captain Clutch.” Brunson’s game-high 9 4th-quarter points added to his postseason-leading 9.5 ppg in that frame 0-0 Mentality: New York’s “one-game-at-a-time” approach kept the deficit in perspective. “Just staying with it. Not getting too down or too low in the moment,” Anunoby said Nature & Nurture: “In an 82-game season, especially in New York, there's going to be mountains and valleys,” Josh Hart said … “If you lose three or four in a row, everybody is on the trade block … You try to stay even.” Garden Gratitude: “We have the best fans in the world,” Anunoby said. “We all feel it. We all feed off of it. The energy is amazing and we love our fans.” New York is showing no lead is safe, as the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5, with the Knicks a win away from the mountaintop. 4. THE TWO-WAY HEROICS OF OG ANUNOBY: GAME 4’S TAKEAWAYS From “Captain Clutch” to OG, a stunning ending and a stunning start, NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner delivers his four takeaways from Game 4. He begins where the Knicks’ comeback did – at the wrong end of an 81-52 3rd-quarter score: “Then the magic kicked in. The ghosts of New York’s freshly ended 13-game playoff winning streak stirred. And — what do you know? — the home team finally won a game. The Knicks are up 3-1, one victory away from ending a 53-year NBA championship drought because they believed when so few others did. “Coming from 29 down … it gives you the confidence to know that, okay, hey, we are never out of a game,” coach Mike Brown said. … Brown began the evening talking pregame about OG Anunoby (“He’s gotten better as the series has gone along. I think he can even reach a higher plateau”). By the end of the night, New York’s multi-tool of a player had rendered tens of thousands of people speechless … “I don’t know if there was a play bigger than any other play in the history of Knicks basketball,” Brown said of Anunoby. | Read More 5. ALVARADO ANSWERS IN GAME 4’S BIGGEST MOMENTS In the Finals’ largest comeback, the Knicks' smallest guard stood tall. No, not Brunson; the other 6-footer — Jose Alvarado. NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt examines Alvarado’s crucial Game 4 contributions, even after getting off to an unassuming start: “But in the fourth, Alvarado was as indispensable as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Alvarado, who was born in Brooklyn and played high school basketball at Christ the King in Queens, was everywhere: scoring, rebounding, passing, defending, helping the Knicks pull off an improbable and stunning come-from-behind victory. Alvarado played nine minutes, 40 seconds in the fourth quarter and had eight points, three assists and two rebounds. The Knicks outscored the Spurs by 17 points with Alvarado on the court … Knicks coach Mike Brown made sure he mentioned Alvarado in his opening statement in his postgame news conference. “Jose was unbelievable tonight,” Brown said. “He changed the game.” Alvarado said he was on the verge of tears when the final buzzer sounded. “Just to be part of the journey is amazing,” he said. | Read More Want to share Starting 5 with a friend? Send them this link. Shape the Starting 5.  Email us here. Don't have the NBA App? Download it here.