It hardly feels like a coincidence that OG Anunoby was in the right place at the right time for the New York Knicks.
New York looked dead in the water in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 27 points at halftime after giving up a Finals-record 14 first-half three-pointers. They had entered the night with a 2–1 series lead, but were in serious danger of heading back to San Antonio tied at 2–2 after already wasting the advantage they built with two road wins to open the series.
San Antonio pushed its lead to 29 points early in the third quarter, 81–52, and seemed well on its way to reclaiming control of the series. No team had come back from more than 24 points down in a Finals game since play-by-play tracking for all four quarters began in 1997.
But if there’s anything these Knicks have proven, it’s that they do not quit.
They had already rallied from 22 points down against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they counted on that same stubbornness again to make history.
New York’s defense set the tone and changed everything. After allowing 76 points in the first half, the Knicks held San Antonio to only 30 points on 8-of-39 shooting over the final two quarters. That gave Anunoby and Jalen Brunson enough room on the other end to start chipping away at what had looked like an impossible deficit.
Anunoby finished with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three, along with four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. Brunson played just as well with 36 points, five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and three three-pointers in 44 minutes.
These two ultimately powered the Knicks’ now-legendary second half comeback. Anunoby and Brunson combined for 19 points in the third quarter, with Anunoby scoring 11 on perfect 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. That helped cut San Antonio’s lead to 15 by the end of the period and turned a potential blowout into a game that suddenly felt within reach again.
They kept coming in the fourth period, combining for 17 more points as the Spurs slowly lost their grip. Anunoby hit both of his three-point attempts in the final period, while Brunson gave New York its first lead of the night, 105–104, on a driving jumper.
The Knicks still trailed, 106–105, after Stephon Castle hit two free throws with 30 seconds left. Brunson missed a short jumper on the next possession, but Anunoby kept New York alive on the other end by blocking De’Aaron Fox’s ill-advised layup attempt. After a timeout, Brunson missed a long three-pointer against a double team from Victor Wembanyama and Fox, only for an unguarded Anunoby to swoop in for a tip-in with two seconds left to give the Knicks a 107–106 lead.
San Antonio still had one last chance, but Karl-Anthony Towns deflected Dylan Harper’s inbounds pass to Castle to preserve one of the greatest comeback wins in Finals history.
Anunoby is now averaging 23.8 points on elite efficiency–58 percent shooting, 55.6 percent on threes, and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line–in the Finals, along with four rebounds, 1.3 assists, one steal, and 1.5 blocks. Brunson may remain the heart of this Knicks team, but Anunoby is beginning to look like the player most deserving of winning Finals MVP for his two-way brilliance.
The Knicks now lead the best-of-seven series, 3–1, with three chances to win their first championship since 1973, starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio. For a franchise with only two titles in 80 years and no Finals appearance since 1999, Anunoby may have just delivered New York’s most memorable basketball moment since Willis Reed limped onto the Madison Square Garden floor more than 50 years ago.
