The New York Knicks delivered one of the most dramatic wins in NBA Finals history on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, rallying from a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 and take a 3-1 series lead. What appeared to be a lopsided Spurs victory turned into a historic comeback fueled by a roaring home crowd and clutch late-game execution.
Madison Square Garden drew an extraordinary celebrity turnout for the matchup, with courtside and sideline appearances from Spike Lee, Larry David, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, David Zaslav, Timothée Chalamet, Mariska Hargitay, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, John McEnroe and Tracy Morgan. Taylor Swift also attended after appearing at Tuesday night’s “Toy Story 5” premiere, adding to the high-profile atmosphere around the game.
The Knicks were trailing by 29 points entering the fourth quarter and still faced a huge challenge late in the game. But with the arena surging behind them, New York chipped away at the deficit until it was down to a single point with 1:47 remaining. The turning point came after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama missed two free throws, opening the door for Jalen Brunson to drive the other way and hit a floater that gave the Knicks their first lead of the night.
San Antonio briefly regained control when Stephon Castle made two free throws to put the Spurs back in front by one. The Knicks responded almost immediately, as OG Anunoby scored a key basket with just over a second left to swing the lead back to New York. The Spurs failed to score on their final possession, sealing the improbable victory for the Knicks and completing a comeback that stunned the crowd and viewers alike.
The win was described by “Inside the NBA” as the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. During the postgame coverage, Ernie Johnson led the reaction by asking, “What the hell did we just see?” Charles Barkley blamed the Spurs for failing to close out the game, saying that when a team blows a 29-point lead, the opponent still has to be helped along.
The result put the Knicks one win away from the championship and added another unforgettable chapter to the team’s playoff run. The combination of celebrity energy, a raucous MSG atmosphere and a historic collapse by San Antonio made the game one of the most memorable Finals contests in recent memory.
