New York rose from the dead in the second half of Game 4 on Wednesday. With the New York Knicks down 29 points in the third quarter, there was hardly anyone at Madison Square Garden who believed New York could do the impossible. Except the Knicks themselves. 

ESPN commentator and lifelong Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith admitted he was already mentally drafting a somber monologue as he watched his squad get trampled by the San Antonio Spurs in the first half. Appearing live on SportsCenter following the conclusion of the game, Smith bared his soul regarding the emotional whiplash of the night.

“I thought it was over,” he said. “I thought the New York Knicks were going back to San Antonio tied 2-2 with their heads bowed. Having relinquished home-court advantage to the San Antonio Spurs. I thought they were done for the night and possibly for the series.”

But the Knicks made a historic comeback spearheaded by a masterpiece from Jalen Brunson, who led the Knicks’ offensive attack in the second half.

New York kept cutting the lead after the first five minutes in the third quarter. The Spurs’ offense went cold in the last two quarters, combining for fewer points than the Knicks in the fourth quarter alone.

“And then they kept scratching and clawing and coming back," Smith added. "I saw Jalen Brunson defer, and guys weren't making shots. So he basically said, 'To h*** with it, I'm going to do it myself,' and he dropped 36 points. I saw OG Anunoby stepping up to say, 'Yo, I got your back.' I saw Miles McBride come off the bench and act as an absolute spark plug for this team."

This was the largest and ‌greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. The Knicks continued to cut the 29-point lead, and entering ‌the fourth quarter, the lead was cut to 15 points.

The Knicks took their first lead of the game with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

An Overwhelmed Stephen A. Smith Admits He Couldn't Watch the Final Buzzer

The last two minutes of Game 4 were nerve-wracking for both fan bases.

Within that span of time, the Knicks took their first lead. Victor Wembanyama missed two crucial free throws, while OG Anunoby blocked De’Aaron Fox’s fast-break layup to deny the Spurs a three-point lead. Then Anunoby's outback 2-pointer with less than two seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner. 

The hard work that had resulted in the Knicks having a one-point lead could have been ruined by the Spurs’ last possession. With just over a second remaining, the Spurs had a chance to win the game. But only if they had successfully executed the inbound pass.

In a nerve-wracking moment, Stephen A. admitted that he was bowing his head in prayer rather than watching the play. The ESPN analyst said he panicked.

"The last shot, I'm going to say this last point, the last shot by the San Antonio Spurs, 1.2 seconds left on the clock. I did not see it,” Smith said. “I actually prayed...bowed my head, and I did not watch it.

“My heart stopped. I was in that panic mode because when OG put it back with 1.2 seconds left, I was so damn petrified that my heart would get broken, that somehow San Antonio would make a shot with the 1.2 seconds left.”

Dylan Harper tried to make a lob pass to Stephon Castle, who had gotten himself open. But Karl-Anthony Towns blocked it, which caused the ball to fall short. Castle couldn’t get his shot before the game clock expired.

Who do you think was the biggest star of Game 4? Drop your pick in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Koushik Biswas