Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) talks with forward Victor Wembanyama (1) against the New York Knicks during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) talks with forward Victor Wembanyama (1) against the New York Knicks during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The New York Knicks seem to have done the impossible in Game 4 of the Finals. And after their record-breaking finals comeback, it has one NBA Champion, Channing Frye, finding a pattern.
After San Antonio blew a 29-point lead in a historic meltdown, former NBA champion Frye delivered a harsh assessment of the Spurs and highlighted how they have blown leads consistently in the Finals.
"Here’s the issue in the NBA, we learn. So they had a lead in the 1st game, they lost it. They had a lead, and they lost it in the 2nd game. They had a lead, then the Knicks made mistakes, and they won the 3rd game," Frye told Kay Adams during his appearance on the Up & Adams show. "So this game they had a lead, and they lost again."
In all four games, the Spurs have led the first quarter. In Game 1, they led the game entering the third quarter, and in Game 4, they had a 29-point lead in the third quarter and a 15-point lead starting the fourth quarter.
"So for me, if I’m the Knicks, no lead is safe anymore. No lead is like ‘let's just give up and put our bench in’ because you go, ‘Hey, we keep going; they’re gonna get tired."
And it seemed like that was the case in Game 4. After scoring 76 points in the first half, the Spurs managed just 30 in the second, one of the largest deficits in postseason history. The Spurs managed 3 three-pointers out of 17 attempts, after making 11 in 16 in the first half.
These numbers tell a very clear story, and it's not just one Channing Frye sees.
Michael Wilbon blasts the Spurs after historic meltdown against the Knicks
After the Spurs lost Game 4, the veteran ESPN commentator blasted San Antonio.
"It's the dumbest stretch of basketball at a championship level I've ever seen... They could have done the basketball equivalent of taking a knee and run the clock out... instead they are hoisting threes," Wilbon said on SportsCenter. "It’s the biggest choke I have seen in any sport at the championship level."
Despite having a big lead, the Spurs continued to take rushed 3-pointers, rather than defending and using shot clocks. It could have given them better looks.
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Written by
Nandjee Ranjan
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar