The 2026 NBA Finals delivered strong entertainment across the opening three contests. Yet they lacked a truly landmark moment until Game 4 arrived.

Everything shifted during that contest.

The New York Knicks trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 29 points in the second half before engineering the biggest comeback in Finals history for a 107-106 triumph. Madison Square Garden witnessed an unprecedented scene, as did the broader NBA audience. Nothing comparable had occurred in league annals.

The Knicks now sit one victory from their first championship in 53 years, fueled by renewed confidence and surging momentum from this unlikely triumph. They will seek to close out the series in San Antonio on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App.

First, however, Game 4 merits a full examination of how the Knicks rallied and how the Spurs faltered.

Breakdown of the Knicks Rally

Several unusual developments marked the opening half:

Karl-Anthony Towns collected two fouls within the first 62 seconds.
Ariel Hukporti and Jeremy Sochan appeared in their initial Finals games.
The Spurs converted more three-pointers than the Knicks even attempted.
Victor Wembanyama posted a plus-28 rating across 21 minutes.

Those factors produced a record-setting start for San Antonio. Their 19-point advantage after one quarter stood as the largest ever for a visiting team in the Finals, according to ESPN Research, and their 27-point halftime edge matched that distinction.

The resilient Knicks, already erasing double-digit shortfalls in the prior three Finals games and additional large deficits earlier in the postseason, showed no signs of concern.

After the Spurs extended the margin to 29 points early in the third quarter, four Knicks players contributed to a 13-0 surge that narrowed the gap. Although San Antonio resumed scoring, Jalen Brunson answered each basket. New York reached the fourth quarter trailing by 15, a sizable hole yet one reduced by nearly half.

Knicks coach Mike Brown instructed his squad at halftime to trim the deficit to roughly 15 or 17 points entering the final period. The group delivered.

The surge paused briefly in the fourth, and with 9:33 left a Wembanyama putback restored a 20-point Spurs advantage. Their win probability reached 99.6 percent per ESPN Analytics at that stage, leaving the Knicks with slim odds.

Those odds proved sufficient. Multiple contributors stepped forward as New York outscored San Antonio 32-11 down the stretch to convert the opportunity.

Towns, limited by fouls, saw minimal offensive involvement yet converted his limited chances, including five points in under a minute to bring the margin into single digits midway through the fourth. Reserve guard Jose Alvarado, sharing the floor with Brunson for the first time in the postseason, added five consecutive clutch points to prevent San Antonio from rebuilding a double-digit lead.

Brunson delivered in key moments en route to 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, his strongest overall performance of the series. His 15 second-quarter points kept New York within range during the Spurs three-point onslaught, and he hit two critical late shots: a three-pointer over Wembanyama as the shot clock expired, followed by a contested floater over Stephon Castle, again with the clock nearly depleted, to give the Knicks their initial lead.

The standout Knicks performer proved to be OG Anunoby, who posted a playoff-career-best 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three-point range. He now averages 20.7 points per game on 58 percent shooting in the playoffs while sustaining strong form.

Two energetic defensive plays, beyond his accurate jumpers, elevated Anunoby to legendary status in New York.

After Brunson's floater, the Spurs reclaimed the lead on two Castle free throws. They appeared poised to extend it when Brunson missed over Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox secured the rebound near the basket with 12 seconds remaining. Fox, among the league's quickest players, attempted a left-handed layup to create a three-point margin.

Anunoby raced back to block the attempt cleanly, preserving New York's chance.

On the Knicks final possession, after Wembanyama switched onto Brunson and challenged a deep three-point attempt, Anunoby, inbounding the ball, found an open path to the rim. He reached with his right arm and redirected the ball cleanly through the net for the decisive score with 1.2 seconds left.

Coach Brown praised the play afterward, calling it potentially the most iconic shot in New York basketball history.

Breakdown of the Spurs Meltdown

Playoff basketball operates as a zero-sum contest. The Knicks historic rally mirrored the Spurs historic collapse.

San Antonio fans endured other difficult postseason defeats this century, yet those arrived as sudden blows in single moments. Game 4 instead saw the lead erode gradually over an extended period until it vanished entirely.

The Spurs began aggressively, setting Finals records for most three-pointers in a half and most points by a road team in the first half. That 76-point first-half output dropped to just 30 after intermission, marking one of the largest second-half declines in playoff history during the shot-clock era.

Detailed second-half statistics proved stark. San Antonio shot 22.7 percent on two-pointers and 17.6 percent on threes for an overall 20.5 percent field-goal mark. Turnovers exceeded made field goals, and several guards recorded more turnovers than made shots.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson noted the team strayed from the aggressive style that built the lead. Shot quality reached a season-low mark in the second half.

Wembanyama struggled after halftime, converting just 3 of 14 attempts and missing three free throws, including two late. He logged 44 minutes with minimal rest.

Johnson faced criticism for limited substitutions and timeouts during the Knicks run. On the court, Fox's decision to drive rather than reset the offense proved costly, allowing Anunoby's block.

Additional Observations Ahead of Game 5

Stephon Castle's foul trouble mirrored Towns issues and aided New York's initial run. Castle must maintain discipline moving forward.

Rookie Dylan Harper provided a bright spot with 21 points on efficient shooting and strong impact despite limited late production.

Mitchell Robinson continued to post negative plus-minus figures, going minus-14 in 13 minutes while struggling on free throws as the Spurs applied the Hack-a-Mitch strategy.