Knicks take 3-1 Finals lead into Game 5 against Spurs
New York can win its first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday after a record comeback put San Antonio on the brink.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The New York Knicks will try to close out the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Saturday, one win from the franchise’s first championship since 1973. Reuters reported the Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 after rallying from 29 points down to beat the Spurs 107-106 in Game 4.
The comeback left San Antonio facing elimination after what Reuters described as the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history. The previous biggest documented Finals comeback was 24 points, by the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.
San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox said Friday the Spurs still believe they can extend the series. “The games that we’re losing have all been close games,” Fox said, according to Reuters. “We still have that belief that we have a chance to win.”
New York’s path to a 3-1 lead
The Knicks opened the series with two road wins in San Antonio, taking Game 1 by 105-95 and Game 2 by 105-104, Reuters reported. The Spurs answered with a 115-111 victory in Game 3 in New York before losing Game 4 after controlling much of the night.
Reuters reported San Antonio led by 20 points with 9:33 left in Game 4. Five minutes later, the margin was down to four, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby completed the rally with a tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Knicks coach Mike Brown said his team expects a difficult task in Game 5, even with the title in reach. “San Antonio’s a great team. They’re desperate. I still think they believe,” Brown said, according to Reuters.
Jalen Brunson led New York in Game 4 with 36 points and seven assists, Reuters reported. He has scored at least 30 points in three games during the series, but said the Knicks still had mistakes to correct after falling so far behind.
Anunoby finished Game 4 with 33 points and seven 3-pointers, both career postseason highs, according to Reuters. He said people around him had made clear how much his late basket meant to the franchise and its fans.
Spurs try to avoid elimination
Victor Wembanyama had 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in Game 4, but shot 9-for-25 from the field, Reuters reported. He has scored at least 24 points in every game of the Finals while shooting 43.5 percent for the series.
Wembanyama said San Antonio had to move on from Game 4 quickly. “It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long,” he said, according to Reuters.
Only one team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals, Reuters reported: the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, against a Golden State Warriors team that won 73 regular-season games.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said San Antonio could not ignore its missed chance after scoring 76 points in the first half of Game 4 and 30 after halftime. He also said all four games in the series had been within reach, according to Reuters.
Fox said the Spurs are focused on Saturday rather than the full climb required to win the series. “We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games,” he said, according to Reuters. “We need to win tomorrow and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.