Knicks beat Spurs in Game 4 and move within one win of NBA title
The New York Knicks are one victory from their first NBA championship since 1973 after beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. The NBA's game page labels the result the largest Finals comeback, and AP's account says New York erased a 29-point deficit before OG Anunoby tipped in Jalen Brunson's missed three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. The win gives the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series before Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday, 13 June. Brunson's late-shot gravity and Anunoby's rebounding timing turned a Spurs performance that had looked controlled into a test of nerve. For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama's 24 points and 13 rebounds were not enough after the Spurs' second-half shooting collapsed. The broader story is no longer only New York's drought; it is whether a young Spurs team can answer its first Finals crisis.
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About this story
New York Knicks (NBA franchise based at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, last champions in 1973) are one of basketball's most visible but historically under-winning brands. San Antonio Spurs (Texas-based NBA franchise, five-time champions between 1999 and 2014) are rebuilding around a young core. NBA Finals (the league's best-of-seven championship series) decide the season title. Madison Square Garden (New York arena opened in its current form in 1968) is the Knicks' home court. OG Anunoby (British-born forward for New York) made the decisive tip-in. Jalen Brunson (Knicks guard and primary creator) led the rally. Victor Wembanyama (French centre drafted first overall in 2023 by San Antonio) is the Spurs' franchise player. Mike Brown (Knicks head coach) and Mitch Johnson (Spurs head coach) are managing sharply different pressure points: ending a long drought and protecting a young team's confidence.
How to read this story
The history
The Knicks' last NBA title came in the 1973 Finals, when New York beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1; historical summaries of that series identify Willis Reed as Finals MVP. New York and San Antonio also met in the 1999 Finals, when the Spurs beat the eighth-seeded Knicks 4-1 for their first championship. The modern benchmark for impossible Finals deficits was the 2008 Boston Celtics' 24-point comeback against the Lakers; AP's account of Game 4 says New York passed that mark with a 29-point rally. The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers remain the only team to recover from 3-1 down in the NBA Finals.
Why now
The story is timely because Game 4 on 10 June changed the Finals from a competitive 2-2 possibility into a 3-1 Knicks lead after the largest comeback identified by the NBA's game page.
What to watch
Watch San Antonio's first-quarter response in Game 5, Wembanyama's free-throw and late-clock usage, and whether New York keeps Anunoby active on the offensive glass. If the Spurs win, the next signal is Game 6 in New York on 16 June.
International angle
The European dimension is mainly sporting and cultural. Victor Wembanyama gives the Spurs a large following in France and nearby markets, including Belgium, while the Knicks' market power makes the Finals a global media event. This remains an NBA story first, but European interest is stronger than usual because a French franchise player is central to the opponent's title bid.
What this means for you
Belgian viewers following live coverage should note the time-zone burden: a Saturday night U.S. game usually lands overnight in Belgium. For casual fans, the practical story is simple: Game 5 is the first possible title-clincher, and the series may end before the planned later games.
What happens next
Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday, 13 June, in San Antonio. New York can clinch the championship there; San Antonio must win to force Game 6 back in New York on Tuesday, 16 June. Coaches are expected to focus on the Spurs' second-half shot quality, Knicks rebounding and late-game matchups around Brunson and Anunoby.
Potential consequences
If New York closes the series, the Knicks' roster construction around Brunson, Anunoby and defensive depth will become a model for star-light but pressure-resistant playoff building. If San Antonio extends the series, the narrative may shift quickly toward Wembanyama's response and whether the Spurs' young core can absorb a historic collapse without carrying it into the next game. Belgian and European interest would likely stay highest while Wembanyama remains alive in the series.
Opposing perspectives
- New York Knicks / Mike Brown
Knicks coach Mike Brown framed the finish as a franchise-scale moment because the play rewarded offensive rebounding, persistence and late-game composure. From that view, the comeback was not only a Spurs collapse; it was evidence that New York's playoff identity can survive poor starts and still create decisive pressure.
- San Antonio Spurs / Mitch Johnson
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson framed the loss around a second-half retreat: San Antonio stopped converting threes, lost aggression and let a large lead become a possession-by-possession stress test. That reading treats Game 4 less as bad luck than as a young team's failure to control tempo under Finals pressure.
- European Wembanyama followers
Fans following Victor Wembanyama from Europe can read the game as a painful but valuable stage in his development. His stat line kept San Antonio close, but the missed late free throws and offensive stagnation underline how Finals status demands not only production, but closing authority.
Timeline
- 2026-06-03·The NBA Finals opened with Knicks-Spurs Game 1.
- 2026-06-08·San Antonio cut the series deficit in Game 3.
- 2026-06-10·New York beat San Antonio 107-106 in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
- 2026-06-13·Game 5 is scheduled in San Antonio.
How this story developed
2 reports on this subject — earliest first. You are reading the highlighted entry.
- Knicks beat Spurs in Game 4 and move within one win of NBA title· You are here
- Knicks take 3-1 Finals lead into San Antonio closeout game
Related to this story
Live connections from the Belgium Impulse ecosystem — not recommendations.
This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.