Knicks Pull Off the Greatest Comeback in NBA Finals History — One Win From a Title
If you care even a little bit about basketball — or just love a good story — Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals is one you'll be talking about for years.
The New York Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday, rallying from a 29-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106. If you weren't watching, here's the quick version: it looked absolutely hopeless for most of the night, and then it wasn't.
How bad did it get?
A 12-2 run to start and deadeye shooting made Game 4 look like a wrap — San Antonio built a 76-49 lead before the halftime show even started. The Spurs connected on 14 three-pointers in the first half alone — the most made in the first half in Finals history. Even the home crowd at Madison Square Garden, which included Taylor Swift and Timothée Chalamet, was effectively silenced.
Just over a minute into the game, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two quick fouls, including a controversial second one that came following a review, forcing him to the bench. New York never found its footing in the first half.
When did the tide turn?
With 9:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, a Wembanyama putback reestablished San Antonio's lead at 20 points — at that juncture, the Spurs' win probability was 99.6% according to ESPN Analytics. In other words, the Knicks had roughly a 1-in-250 shot at winning. They took it anyway.
Various heroes emerged as the Knicks outscored the Spurs 32-11 down the stretch. Towns, dogged by foul trouble, barely participated offensively but made his few attempts count. Then reserve guard Jose Alvarado — playing alongside Brunson for the first time all postseason — scored five clutch points in a row when San Antonio threatened to push the lead back to double figures.
The finish you won't forget
With the Knicks trailing by one and just seconds left, Jalen Brunson got the ball and launched a deep three over the outstretched arms of 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama. It clanged off the rim. Anunoby — who had inbounded the ball to Brunson — ran toward the rim, leapt past three Spurs defenders, and tipped the rebound with his right hand before falling to the ground as everyone in the building started to grasp the enormity of what they had just seen. OG Anunoby tipped in the winning basket with 1.2 seconds remaining.
But there's one more twist: De'Aaron Fox — one of the NBA's fastest players — had chased down a defensive rebound with 12 seconds left and thought he had time to lay it in to push the lead to three. But Anunoby sprinted back and blocked Fox without fouling, giving New York another chance to win. That block set up the final possession.
The stars on the night
Brunson's game-high 36 points led the way, while Anunoby contributed 33 points on 7-for-9 shooting from three. Brunson and Anunoby became the first Knicks duo with at least 30 points each in the same NBA Finals game. For the Spurs, Wembanyama led with 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot 9-for-25 from the field.
Why it matters to you
The Knicks are now one win away from the franchise's first championship in 53 years. That's not just a sports stat — that's a 53-year drought for one of the biggest, loudest fan bases in American sports. This game meant too much, to too many people, including decades of Knicks players and coaches who've tried and failed to deliver a championship to a city and a fan base that has been desperate for one since 1973.
They now lead the best-of-seven NBA Finals 3-1, with a chance to clinch the title in Game 5 on Saturday in San Antonio. History is on their side: of the 37 teams to go up 3-1 in the NBA Finals, 32 have gone on to lift the trophy. But as Wednesday night proved, history doesn't always write the script.
Claude’s Scrutiny
The ESPN piece frames the Spurs' collapse almost entirely through late-game mental errors and Wembanyama's decisions — but the stats show this series is razor-thin overall, with the teams separated by just eight total points across four games, which makes the 'dominant Knicks' narrative a stretch.
Key Takeaways
- The Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 — the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, breaking the previous record of 24 points set by the Celtics in 2008.
- OG Anunoby was the unlikely hero twice: first blocking De'Aaron Fox's layup attempt with 12 seconds left to preserve the comeback chance, then tipping in Brunson's missed three with 1.2 seconds remaining to win it.
- The Spurs scored 76 points in the first half — an NBA Finals record — then collapsed to just 30 in the second, a 46-point swing that ties the largest first-half-to-second-half drop in playoff history.
- At their lowest point in the fourth quarter, ESPN Analytics gave the Knicks just a 0.4% chance of winning the game.
- The Knicks are one win away from their first NBA championship since 1973, with Game 5 heading back to San Antonio on Saturday.
Related videos
Perspectives
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Provided the deepest tactical breakdown of how the comeback unfolded, including win probability data, play-by-play X's and O's on the Brunson-Wembanyama matchup, and the two defining late-game mistakes that have swung the series.
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Aggregated player, coach, and media reactions — offering the widest range of voices but staying mostly surface-level, leaning into the celebratory tone without much critical analysis.
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Balanced game recap with notable attention to the officiating subplot around Wembanyama's flagrant fouls and his proximity to an automatic suspension — context other outlets underplayed.
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Gave the most airtime to the Spurs' perspective and Wembanyama's post-game reaction, framing the story as San Antonio's historic collapse rather than New York's historic comeback.
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Purely stat-driven companion piece — useful for the raw numbers (0.4% win probability, Anunoby's historical clutch record) without narrative spin.
My Notes
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