Championship series in the NBA revolve around defining moments.
These instances are brief fragments of time – just seconds or a single play. Think of Michael Jordan’s shoulder shrug, LeBron James’ chase-down block, Jerry West’s 60-foot shot to force extra time, Ray Allen’s three-pointer that rescued Miami in 2013, Magic Johnson’s sky hook, Kobe Bryant leaping onto a table with five fingers raised for his fifth championship, or Willis Reed hobbling onto the court for Game 7.
These are the sequences that endure forever – individual events or plays that become legendary.
The New York Knicks may have redefined this concept entirely. Their Game 4 NBA Finals victory came thanks to one such defining sequence – OG Anunoby’s tip-in that completed the Knicks’ stunning recovery from a 29-point deficit certainly secured him permanent status among basketball’s most iconic plays.
However, the entire rally was truly the moment. Countless plays at Madison Square Garden wove together to create a story worthy of the nearby Broadway theaters and Radio City Music Hall stages.
The sequence lasted 21½ minutes of game time, stretching over an hour in actual duration. While Anunoby provided the dramatic finish, it’s reasonable to expect that whatever film project actor, director and devoted Knicks supporter Ben Stiller is capturing courtside with his phone during this series will prominently showcase much of those crucial 21½ minutes.
“You have to have a little luck in life. You’ve got to have a little luck in sports,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “But you can also make your luck, too.”
Calling the Knicks fortunate to hold a 3-1 series advantage would be unfair, as it implies they don’t deserve this position. They absolutely deserve it. They captured two road victories in San Antonio to open the series, overcoming double-digit deficits in both contests, then lost Game 3 at home before digging themselves into that 29-point hole in Game 4.
San Antonio couldn’t miss any shots during the opening half.
San Antonio couldn’t connect on anything during the closing half.
This represented fortunate circumstances for New York, unfortunate ones for San Antonio, and both teams bore responsibility for the shift. The score stood 81-52 in favor of the Spurs with 21½ minutes remaining. Historical precedent suggested victory was certain.
Wrong.
“It’s a pretty clear picture if you watch the game in terms of what we did in the first half and why we scored so many points. It was pace, finding the paint, passing the ball to your teammate, taking good shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “The second half was opposite of that.”
During those final 21½ minutes:
— New York outscored San Antonio 55-25.
— The Spurs converted just 6 of 35 field goal attempts.
— Anunoby and Jalen Brunson combined for 33 points for the Knicks.
— Victor Wembanyama endured a stretch where he made only 1 of 11 shots.
“I can’t really explain it right now,” Wembanyama said afterward when trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. “I don’t know. I think it’s just execution, greediness of some sort. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”
During the third quarter’s midpoint, Anunoby connected on a three-pointer to cut the Knicks’ deficit to 19. While seemingly minor, it marked their first time reducing San Antonio’s advantage below 20 points since early in the second quarter.
The rally – the defining moment – was just beginning.
The deficit shrank to 15 entering the final quarter. It dropped to 12 following a Karl-Anthony Towns three-pointer with 7:28 remaining, then reached single digits when Towns scored again a minute later. The Garden erupted. Taylor Swift, seated courtside, bounced up and down like millions have done at her concerts. Spike Lee, also courtside, waved his arms frantically as though directing this unscripted performance.
The margin narrowed to seven, then four, then one. New York grabbed the lead before briefly surrendering it. Then Anunoby delivered his magic.
The moment reached completion.
“We believe in each other,” Knicks guard Jose Alvarado said. “That’s the main thing.”
One more victory would truly complete this story. That would represent the ultimate moment, should it occur. Knicks supporters have endured 53 years waiting for such a celebration; the franchise hasn’t claimed an NBA championship since 1973, when the Larry O’Brien Trophy didn’t even carry that name yet.
Should that moment arrive, Wednesday’s sequence – those 21½ incredible minutes condensed into one moment – will have made it all possible.
“We focus on the things we need to get better every single day and not being satisfied with the things that we’ve done so far,” Brunson said. “Very proud of my teammates, day-in and day-out. But (there’s) a lot — a lot — that we have to learn … to honestly be better and be where we want to be.”
