Knicks turn mental collapse into classic comeback to seize Game 4 of NBA Finals from Spurs
· Yahoo Sports
The Knicks began NBA Finals Game 4 with the intention of getting Karl-Anthony Towns the basketball and letting him go to work.
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That lasted for a New York minute.
Two fouls in 62 seconds neutralized the star center, and looked to do the same to the Knicks on Wednesday night.
But a late push followed by OG Anunoby’s late tip-in on New York’sn final possession erased what was a complete Knicks mental meltdown in what became a 107-106 Game 4 win at Madison Square Garden.
The comeback kids once again came back from the dead and are one win away from securing the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years.
The game started very ugly for KAT and crew before a 29-point deficit was fully erased in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Knicks were only down three at the point, but trailed by as many as 21 points in the first period as Towns was relegated to the bench.
KAT received his first personal foul for a ticky-tack bump while defending De’Aaron Fox on a drive to the rim on the very first possession of the game.
The second came on an offensive foul that is rarely called in today’s NBA.
Victor Wembanyana stretched his lengthy left arm between Towns and the ball on a drive to the rim, making clear contact with the Knicks big man as he rose for a dunk. Instead of the offensive player benefiting from the whistle, the call was later overturned after Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson’s challenge.
Officials ruled Towns hooked Wembanyama’s arm, giving KAT his second foul and Johnson a successful challenge.
The challenge was the quickest used in a playoff game since Joe Mazzulla’s 2024 Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 challenge used 35 seconds into the game, per ESPN.
More importantly, it looked to end the Knicks’ night before it even started.
But the mountain that looked too high was conquered.
Wemby missed two free throws with under two minutes remaining, giving Jalen Brunson a shot to take the lead.
He did just that with a layup at 1:22 mark of the fourth.
The make induced a deafening roar from the crowd that longed all night for a reason to cheer. A reason to believe the Knicks could come back just one more time. A reason to believe the Spurs weren’t on pace to snatch the Larry O’Brien trophy from the Knicks.
And they got it with the Knicks down one with 5.7 seconds remaining in regulation. Jalen Brunson rose for a deep three-pointer that misfired, but Anunoby weaved through traffic and tipped the ball in for a one-point lead to secure the win.
“OG, OG” chants rang inside MSG moments after the miraculous comeback.
The comeback erased a total mental collapse by the Knicks on their home floor throughout the first half. As Spurs piled on, the Knicks complained to officials on any play they thought deserved a whistle.
The Spurs hit shot after shot, totaling 41 points in the first quarter alone.
Wembanyama couldn’t be contained either, shooting 5-of-17 for 17 points in the opening 12 minutes.
He got into the heads of each person wearing orange and blue on Wednesday night, including Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson, who checked in for early minutes with Towns in foul trouble, got called for a Flagrant 1 for throwing a forearm above the neck to Wembanyama. The UFC move was in response to a Wemby bucket and trash talk followed.
Then Jose Alvarado took a shot on Wembanyama’s knee, a far-too-late get-back cheap shot as revenge for the shove Jalen Brunson received in the first quarter of Game 3.
The officials and Wemby lived in the Knicks’ heads rent free. That’s what they were focused on instead of a deficit that stretched to as many as 29 points.
The offense struggled without Towns, but Brunson revived in the fourth. He finished with 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting.
Starting Towns as the focal point in an attempt to take a commanding 3-1 lead was the right choice considering the team’s postseason success coinciding with his own success.
But they found other ways to grab a 3-1 lead.