The San Antonio Spurs had Game 4 of the NBA Finals wrapped up. They led by 29 points in the third quarter, were shooting the ball well, and Madison Square Garden had gone quiet. All they had to do was close it out.
They did not. The Knicks came all the way back, and with 1.2 seconds left, one play turned a would-be Spurs win into the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
OG Anunoby Tips In the Knicks’ Greatest Comeback in NBA Finals History
GettyNBA World Stunned by OG Anunoby’s Late Heroics in Historic Knicks Finals Win
OG Anunoby finished with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, going 7-of-9 from three. He also inbounded the ball on the final possession, then crashed the glass and tipped in a missed Jalen Brunson three with 1.2 seconds left to give New York a 107-106 lead. He is now 14-for-26 from beyond the arc across the Finals.
The basketball world could not believe what it just watched. Reporters and analysts flooded social media the moment the ball went in.
One NBA reporter captured the chaos at the Garden: “OG Anunoby with an all-time tip-in. The Knicks lead, 107-106, with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Timeout, Spurs. Oh my god.”
Another writer had no words beyond the obvious: “O.G.! What in the world did I just watch?”
SNY Knicks posted a video of the play with two words: “OG ANUNOBY”
Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News echoed the disbelief: “I cannot believe what I just witnessed”
Then came a detail that made the whole thing even wilder, as one reporter pointed out: “OG was the inbounder, too. Wow.”
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN gave it a name on the spot: “OG with The Tip of God”
One analyst made his series verdict clear: “OG Anunoby is the MVP of this series. Without a question.”
Ian Begley put the performance in full context: “If Knicks win, that tip-in is a forever play from OG Anunoby. He has been great once again for New York. The tip-in off of Brunson’s miss gives him 33 for the game. He is 6-for-8 from beyond the arc tonight and 14-for-26 overall in The Finals.”
Brett Siegel closed it out: “THE KNICKS HAVE DONE IT!!! OG ANUNOBY’S TIP WITH 1.2 SECONDS LEFT COMPLETES THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN NBA FINALS HISTORY!!!”
Knicks-Spurs Game 4 Final Score and How the Comeback Happened
GettyNBA World Erupts After OG Anunoby Caps Off Largest Finals Comeback in History
To understand how big that tip-in was, you have to understand how far gone the Knicks looked. Even with nine minutes left in the fourth, San Antonio led by 20. Jalen Brunson kept attacking anyway, finishing with 36 points and seven assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Stephon Castle scored two free throws with 30 seconds left to give the Spurs the lead by one. After that, De’Aaron Fox stole the ball from Brunson, took it up the floor, and went for the layup instead of running down the clock. Anunoby blocked it. New York got the ball with a shot to win.
Brunson caught the inbound, got doubled, and threw up a three. Nobody accounted for Anunoby crashing from the perimeter. He tipped it in. 107-106, Knicks, with 1.2 seconds left.
Victor Wembanyama was the top scorer for San Antonio with 24 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds. Dylan Harper who came off the bench made a strong case for himself scoring 21. The Spurs who made 40% of their three-point shots failed to keep a lead which at one point seemed to be uncatchable.
The Knicks lead 3-1 and are one win away from their first title since 1973. Game 5 heads back to San Antonio, where the Spurs now need to win three straight just to survive.
NBA World Reacts to OG Anunoby’s Clutch Heroics in Record-Breaking Knicks Comeback