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New York Knicks Need One Win To Claim NBA Title Over San Antonio Spurs
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The New York Knicks are one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought. New York leads the San Antonio Spurs 3-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, with Game 5 set for Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio Yahoo Sports.
Every game in the series has been decided by four points or less in the final minute. Game 4 was the most dramatic of all — the Spurs blew a 29-point lead, the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history, as the Knicks won 107-106 on a tip-in by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left NH Register.
Game 4 Collapse Rewrites NBA Finals History
The Spurs led by 29 points in the second half of Game 4 on June 10. That margin was larger than any ever blown in NBA Finals history — the previous record was 24 points, set by the Lakers in 2008 Stamford Advocate. San Antonio then missed 29 of its final 35 field goal attempts. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 55-25 over the final 21.5 minutes.
Jalen Brunson scored 36 points in the comeback. OG Anunoby added 33 and grabbed the game-winning offensive rebound for the tip-in. Charles Barkley called the Spurs' late-game strategy — eight straight three-point attempts while protecting a big lead — the "dumbest basketball" in history Chron.
Spurs Face Historic Odds After 3-1 Deficit
Only one team in 38 tries has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. That gives San Antonio a 2.6% historical chance of winning the series NH Register. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, a first-year Finals coach, told reporters: "There's conviction in strength and confidence... There's no avoiding what's happened... no avoiding we're down 3-1."
Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old Spurs superstar, framed the situation simply. "The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this," he said Twin Cities Business Radio. Wembanyama had missed a potential game-winning buzzer shot back in Game 2, a one-point New York victory.
Mike Brown's Process-Driven Approach Has Guided New York
Knicks coach Mike Brown has a layered history with this matchup. He was swept by the Spurs in the 2007 Finals while coaching Cleveland. Now he holds the experience edge over San Antonio's rookie head coach BDT Online. Brown was hired by New York in 2025 after being let go by Sacramento. He replaced Tom Thibodeau, who was fired despite reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brown has leaned on a deep rotation, using bench players like Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson to wear down a Spurs team that relies heavily on its top six. His message to the team ahead of Game 5 was direct: "You have to be present. You can't think about the outcome. It's about the process, the next play, the next play, the next play" 12 News.
A Title Shot 53 Years in the Making for New York
The last time the Knicks won a championship was 1973 — the same year that, coincidentally, was the last NBA Finals where each of the first four games was decided by four points or less in the final minute KDH News. The series is also the most-watched NBA Finals since 2018, averaging 16.68 million viewers through its first two games.
The cultural moment has grown beyond basketball. Taylor Swift was spotted celebrating the Knicks' Game 4 win at Madison Square Garden Local 10. For New York, one more win Saturday night ends the longest title drought of any so-called "Blue Blood" franchise in the NBA.
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