Can the Knicks close out the Spurs? We answered ei...
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- New York Knicks hold a 3-1 NBA Finals lead after overcoming a 29-point deficit to stun the Spurs in Game 4 — the largest halftime comeback in NBA postseason history, erasing a 27-point halftime hole behind 30-plus-point efforts from Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.
- San Antonio Spurs have led all four Finals games by double digits at some point, yet sit one loss from elimination, with the source noting teams are 37-1 when leading 3-1 in the Finals (only the 2016 Cavaliers have come back).
- The first four games of this series mark the third Finals in which all matchups were one-possession games in the final two minutes of regulation and the second Finals with multiple games decided by a point, underscoring how narrow the margins have been.
- Victor Wembanyama is identified as the most important player in Game 5; the source flags several correctable Spurs mistakes from Game 4, including Wembanyama playing 44 minutes, De'Aaron Fox attempting a layup with 11.1 seconds left while leading by one, and Wembanyama missing two free throws with 1:47 remaining.
- Spurs coach Mitch Johnson (as named in the article) and players Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle said the team has "dictated the winner and loser of all these games," noting San Antonio already came back from a 3-2 deficit against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
- ESPN's Tim Bontemps projects the Knicks to close out the series in five games and predicts Anunoby will win Finals MVP, though the source concedes the razor-thin margins make any outcome plausible.
- Game 5 tips Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN App, with the Knicks attempting to avoid an emotional letdown after what the source calls "arguably the most thrilling win in franchise history."
Why it matters: A Knicks title on Saturday would end a 53-year championship drought dating to 1973 and validate a Knicks squad that has rallied repeatedly this postseason. The Spurs' path forward requires Wembanyama to play cleaner late-game basketball — free throws, clock management, and bench usage are all flagged as fixable — but the 37-1 historical record for 3-1 Finals teams looms large over any comeback talk.
