By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The New York Knicks are on the brink of capturing their third championship in franchise history after staging a historic 29-point comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals 2026.
At the center of the monumental victory was British starter OG Anunoby, who capped off a playoff-high 33-point performance with a spectacular chase-down block and a game-winning tip-in with just 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock. Despite his heroic exploits on both ends of the floor putting the Knicks up 3–1 in the championship series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, the 28-year-old combo forward remained characteristically nonchalant about his clutch efforts.
“It feels cool. Everyone was pretty excited. I am excited too,” Anunoby said during his postgame press conference, forcing a burst of laughter across the room with his understated answer. “We’re all excited. We’re enjoying it right now, but we’re just focused on the next game now.”
His breakdown of the final, chaotic play of Game 4 reflected that same calm demeanor. Rather than focusing on the high-stakes pressure of the moment, the London native explained the game-winning sequence as a simple matter of positioning and effort.
“I inbounded the ball to Jalen. He got a pretty good look, and I just went in and crashed, trying to get a tip-in or something. The ball went over my head, so I couldn’t really dunk it. So, I just tried to tip it in softly, and it went in,” he added on the game-winning play.
While the former NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 downplayed his impact, his teammates were quick to praise his consistent greatness throughout New York’s postseason journey.
Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado emphasized that these types of clutch performances have become the standard. Karl-Anthony Towns went even further, expressing absolute confidence in Anunoby’s ability to deliver whenever the team needs it most, regardless of the stage of the game.
“Every time he’s in the game, second quarter, third quarter, whatever, we are feeling like he’s playing his best. Every time I talk to him, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter. He did exactly what I thought he would do. He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA,” stressed the 30-year-old center.
That unflappable mindset proved vital during the halftime break when the Knicks found themselves trailing by 27 points. Instead of panicking, Anunoby kept his message to the locker room brief and reassuring, relying on the team’s past experiences to guide them through the deficit.
“I’ll just say something like, ‘We’re fine,” he described what he talked about with his teammates during the halftime break, “We know it’s a game of runs. We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re down. So, we are just staying with it.”
The resilient group will now look to carry that momentum on the road as they travel to Texas. With an opportunity to clinch the NBA title, Game 5 follows in San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center on Saturday.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 3-4 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117, 115-94, 94-125)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 (115-104, 109-93, 121-108, 130-93)
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97, 139-109)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 3-4 (115-122, 122-113, 123-108, 82-103, 127-114, 91-118, 103-111)
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks 1-3 (95-105, 104-105, 115-111, 106-107)
Make