The Spurs made history and then allowed the Knicks to make some of their own in a stunning 107-106 loss that sends the NBA Finals to 3-1 in favor of New York.
Unbelievable. Unexplainable. Unacceptable. Take your pick, all of these words and more sum up what happened on the court of Madison Square Garden during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Staring down a chance to tie the series at 2-2, the San Antonio Spurs once again started off hot on the road and forced the New York Knicks into a 29-point hole midway through the third quarter.
From then on, the Spurs went outscored, outclassed and stunned in a 107-106 loss that sent them into a position that only one other team in NBA history has recovered from - a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
The complete implosion was not only crushing for San Antonio, it was historically tragic. No team in league history had ever taken a halftime lead as large as the Spurs in a true Finals road game, with an advantage of 27, and no team had ever come back from as much as the Knicks did in a Finals game, erasing a gap of 29.
Despite the outcome, San Antonio played well in the decisive matchup, obviously well enough to get such a commanding lead to begin with. Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama closed with 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in a showing that could have been enough.
Off the bench, Dylan Harper chipped in 21 points and drained three three-pointers. Meanwhile, starters Devin Vassell, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle all went for double figures, with 18, 18 and 13, respectively.
While the numbers looked good for the Spurs on the stat sheet, their play on the court took nose dive in the second half. After cushioning their lead, San Antonio began to get careless with their shot selection, opting to take contested three-pointers and move away from the formula that had worked all game long.
"We got away from what got us the 76 points in the first half," remarked Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. "I felt part of that third quarter and early to mid fourth quarter where, again, we got away from playing the brand of basketball that got us the lead."
In the midst of the collapse, the Spurs still had a chance to ice the game after a missed go-ahead shot by Jalen Brunson bounced into the backcourt and was wrangled in by Fox. With around 12 seconds to go and a one point lead, all Fox had to do was hold the ball and either let time expire or force the Knicks to send him to free-throw line.
Instead, Fox went up for a potential insurance layup and was promptly met by the hand of OG Anunoby. Although the move was costly, San Antonio still preserved its lead and needed one stop to avoid complete disaster.
And the Spurs thought they did it after Brunson's three-pointer clanged off the rim. However, Anunoby stepped up again and tipped in the put-back with 1.2 left.
San Antonio did not even get an attempt in the final seconds following a miscue on the inbound from Fox to Castle and an assuredly tied series turned into a 3-1 nightmare for the Spurs.
"Can't really explain it right now," said a candid Wembanyama after the loss. "We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half...We work too hard and give up our leads...It just hurts."
Fortunately for the Spurs, they still have a chance, no matter how difficult, to make a historic comeback of their own. And there are reasons to believe it's possible.
"We have two days to put everything we have into that game and that's the only game that matters," said Johnson. "We feel like we've decided the outcome of all four games and we need to better in the next game."
Johnson is not entirely wrong in that assessment, as the Spurs have led each game late and seen meltdowns and mistakes happen in three of the four outings, including the equally devastating Game 2 loss.
Granted, the team that overcomes these issues is deserving to win but there is a reality where San Antonio is the one with a 3-1 lead. Nonetheless, San Antonio returns to Frost Bank Center hoping to keep its renaissance season alive with tip off set for 7:30 p.m.
