Brunson Secures His Place in New York Lore Forever

"Brunson secures his place in New York lore forever" Watch the highlights: In the U.S., the historic comeback was analyzed, "The Spurs just handed out gifts" Sports 5 Published: 11.06.26, 07:39

The New York Knicks completed the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history last night, coming back from a 29-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

In the United States, people are struggling to absorb the scale of the drama, and ESPN's top commentators took time to analyze the Spurs' massive collapse against the unrelenting determination of the Big Apple players.

Vincent Goodwill of ESPN raved about the Knicks' performance, with the team now just one win away from its first championship since 1973. "The Knicks proved that they are never out of the game, even when it requires them to make absurd history," Goodwill wrote. "Jalen Brunson took another huge step toward carving his name in gold letters in the annals of New York sports history with every nerve-racking clutch basket. But in the end, it was the Knicks' suffocating defense and physicality that set the stage for the biggest winning shot in the club's history, O.G. Anunoby's leap, 1.2 seconds before the end."

The wild shot by Anunoby not only electrified the Garden, it also entered the history books. According to ESPN data, Anunoby became only the fifth player since 1998 to make his first two go-ahead shots in his playoff career in the final five seconds of a game, after, as recalled, hitting a crazy game-winning three for Toronto in the bubble in 2020. In doing so, he joined a very elite group that includes names such as Luka Doncic, Tyrese Haliburton, LeBron James and Robert Horry.

On the other side, Michael C. Wright focused on the tragic side of the night, San Antonio's collapse. The Spurs led comfortably 76-49 before the Wu-Tang Clan had even gotten on stage for the halftime show, but then everything went wrong. "The Spurs simply took their foot off the gas," Wright analyzed. "In a postseason that is all about lessons for the young Spurs, this final lesson may prove to be the most painful and scarring of all."

Just how historic the Spurs' fall was can be seen in the following stat, the Texans poured in 76 points in the first half, but were held to just 30 in the entire second half. That is a freefall of 46 points between halves, a figure that matches the sharpest drop in output in playoff game history since the shot clock was introduced in the 1954-55 season.

In addition, the Spurs led 81-52 during the third quarter, and no team has ever come back from a deficit of more than 24 points in an NBA Finals game, since the Celtics did it against the Lakers in 2008, since detailed play-by-play records for all four quarters began being kept in the NBA in 1997.

History suggests the Knicks are with one foot already on the podium. They are the 39th team in history to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, and of the previous 38 cases, 37 teams finished the job and won the ring. The only team to squander such an advantage? The unforgettable 2016 Golden State team, which lost to LeBron James' Cleveland.

Despite that clear statistic, senior analyst Tim Bontemps refuses to declare a champion and says the claim that the series is over is a complete "overreaction": "All four games in this series have been decided in the final seconds. Yes, I believe the Knicks will win the title, but with two days of rest between games, Victor Wembanyama will get a chance to recharge and the young Spurs will still come out fighting."

Ahead of Game 5, which will be played overnight between Saturday and Sunday, Ben Golliver wonders how San Antonio's mentality will be affected by the event: "How do you pick up the pieces after the worst collapse in Finals history? The Spurs simply handed out gifts in the second half with passive offense and a string of mistakes. In the final two minutes, Wemby missed two crucial free throws, De'Aaron Fox rushed for a transition layup instead of bleeding clock, and in the end they forgot Anunoby on the offensive rebound that decided the game. Facing elimination with so many regrets in their heads is an almost impossible task for San Antonio's young players."

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