SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The final moments in each of the first four games between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in these NBA Finals had much in common, including that the outcome was still undecided with a minute left every time.
Game 1, Knicks led by four with 58 seconds to go. Game 2, Knicks won by one when Victor Wembanyama's game-winning try just misses. Game 3, Spurs won by four. Game 4, Knicks won by one again after OG Anunoby got a miracle
tip-in.
There hasn't been a finals like this, with a margin of four points or less in the final minute of each of the first four games, since 1973. New York won that series. The Knicks haven't been champions since.
That could change Saturday. New York — leading the series 3-1 — can close out the Spurs in San Antonio when the finals resume with Game 5.
“You have to be present,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Friday. “You can’t think about the outcome. It’s about the process, the next play, the next play, the next play."
The series could easily be tied right now, after San Antonio wasted a 29-point lead in Game 4 in what became the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history.
The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter on Wednesday night and got outscored 55-25 the rest of the way, missing 29 of their final 35 shots and losing on OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining. Taylor Swift was among the many who celebrated long after the final horn, and now the Spurs have to find a way to somehow regroup from absolute agony.
“There’s conviction in strength and confidence,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “That’s what it is. There’s no trick. There’s no avoiding what’s happened. There’s no avoiding all four games have been winnable games. There’s no avoiding we’re down 3-1. There’s not avoiding ways that we could be better. There’s nobody that’s going to be harder on ourselves and accountable to ourselves than the people in the locker room and each other.”
Entering Game 4, teams with leads of 29 or more points in a game were:
— 249-0 this season.
— 288-2 over the last 30 postseasons.
— 4,088-13 over the last 30 seasons, counting regular season and playoff games.
That means the Spurs — who have had double-digit leads in all four games — had about a 99.7% chance of winning Game 4, tying the series and coming home with all the momentum. They’re on the brink of elimination instead.
“We still have that belief that we have a chance to win,” said Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox, who has heard tons of criticism since Wednesday for his decision to try a layup instead of running down the clock when he had the ball and San Antonio leading by one in the final moments. “But we’re taking this one game at a time. We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game.”
It will not be easy. When the Knicks have had a closeout opportunity this season, they've left no doubt.
New York is 3-0 in closeout games in these playoffs, winning them by the almost comical average of 39.3 points per game. The Knicks led by 61 points before winning 140-89 to close out Atlanta in Round 1, led by 44 points before winning 144-114 to close out Philadelphia in Round 2, then led by 45 points before winning 130-93 to close out Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals.
All that happened on the road, too. And thousands of Knicks fans are expected in San Antonio on Saturday night, all ready to see New York end that long title drought.
“One possession at a time, one play at a time, one quarter at a time,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. “You’re thinking about the now, how you can be better the next possession, how can you turn the page, positive or negative. Regardless of what’s going on, our mindset and approach has to stay the same. I think we’ve done a very good job of that. It’s something that has grown over the season. It’s really important, especially obviously now.”
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