OG Anunoby soars into Knicks history with heroic putback to cap epic game four comeback

The vibes were shot. A dominant playoff run had devolved into panic that the best chance of ending a painful title drought was going down in flames. All of the good favor that the Knicks had earned was slipping away with one disastrous half of basketball in game four.

Then, the vibes returned with historic vengeance.

Madison Square Garden went from lifeless to speechless as the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 29-point deficit to stun the Spurs in an all-time classic game four, moving to the brink of the franchise’s first championship since 1973 by taking a 3-1 series lead that no one saw coming.

Trailing by one in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson came up short on a deep 3-point heave, but OG Anunoby, soaring in to save the game and maybe even the team’s title hopes, tipped in the rebound with his outstretched hand to put New York in front with 1.2 seconds remaining.

“The right hand of God,” Towns said of Anunoby’s heroics, possibly the greatest shot in Knicks history.

MSG shook, having been electrified throughout an entire miracle fourth quarter, and the celebration intensified after San Antonio failed to get a shot up on its final possession, sealing arguably the greatest win in Knicks history since Willis Reed limped out of the tunnel and Clyde Frazier dominated in game seven against the Lakers nearly half a century ago.

For much of game four, it appeared as if the Knicks were headed to a second straight flop on their home court, and destined to lose control of a series it had seemingly had in a chokehold. The maddening turnovers from game three carried over, and shooters like Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet still could not rediscover their stroke. The young Spurs looked like the poised team, while New York appeared to be losing its composure, never more prevalent than when Mitchell Robinson gave Victor Wembanyama a forearm to the throat after Wembanyama scored a tough bucket on the backup Knicks center in the first half.

Wembanyama clapped as he picked himself up from the Garden floor, pointing to his temple to declare to Robinson that the young Spurs superstar had gotten into Robinson’s head.

The script flipped drastically in the second half.

Trailing by 27 at the start of the third after allowing 41 first quarter points, the Knicks went to work, and the Spurs began to show their youth. Wembanyama committed a flagrant foul on Towns, much to the delight of the MSG crowd, and the home fans were elated once Wembanyama missed two free throw attempts late in the fourth quarter, with the Knicks inching closer with every possession.

All told, San Antonio managed just 30 points in the second half, shooting 20.5 percent from the field after shooting the lights out in the first 24 minutes. Anunoby shot 7-for-9 in the fourth quarter, continuing his trajectory towards an NBA Finals MVP favorite. Brunson shot 6-for-11, and Jose Alvarado, used in crunch time to pair another ball handler with Brunson to alleviate the pressure of the Spurs’ aggressive backcourt defense, shot 3-for-4 in the final frame to solidify himself as an unsung hero.

“I know a lot of you guys can’t because you’re in the media and you have to be neutral, but I’m gonna f---ing clap for Jose,” Mike Brown said, clapping to begin his postgame press conference. “Sorry, mom.”

If Alvarado got a round of applause in the interview room, Anunoby deserved an extended standing ovation.

“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Brown said of Anunoby’s tip-in.

Anunoby, famously stoic, did not break character after becoming a Finals hero.

“It feels cool,” Anunoby said. “I mean, everyone’s pretty excited. I’m excited too.”

Anunoby’s instantly iconic putback saved a furious comeback from being meaningless. It also rescued his teammate, Josh Hart, who missed a point blank layup in the final two minutes that would have given the Knicks the lead, then committed a foul that allowed the Spurs to take the lead back. Then, Anunoby soared in and turned game four from an ultimate tease to one of the greatest games in NBA Finals history. Nightmare flashbacks of Charles Smith entered the minds of thousands of Knicks fans, only to be washed away minutes later by Anunoby, proving by the day to be the centerpiece of one of the most impactful trades in franchise history.

“He saved me, at least for this game, from a lifetime of regret,” Hart said.

Anunoby also saved the Knicks from a lot of tough questions. The basketball had seemingly taken a back seat once the series shifted back to New York, as robust ticket prices, presidential motorcades, watch party bouts between the organization and the city, and troubling violence from a select view after game three had all appeared to take the Knicks out of the groove that had previously won them 13 straight playoff games. More importantly, the Spurs defense and the officials seemed to have taken New York out of its rhythm, as foul calls or non-calls took over the headlines. But New York came out of the halftime break reborn, sparking its second unbelievable comeback in these playoffs, this one eclipsing the 22-point deficit they erased in the fourth quarter in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals.

In a span of two playoff rounds, the Knicks have put together two of their most memorable wins in franchise history. They both would be eclipsed if New York can get one more in this series.