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Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter in Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks are just one win away from their first NBA championship since 1973. For Jalen Brunson and company, their first chance to close out the San Antonio Spurs comes on Saturday night on the road.

In Game 4, the Knicks pulled off a shocking comeback to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs gave away a golden opportunity to tie the series up 2-2 heading back home to San Antonio.

Despite the loss, the Spurs have remained confident. They firmly believe that they can pull off the series comeback. New York is facing pressure to step on San Antonio before giving the Spurs hope of making their comeback dreams a reality.

Keeping that in mind, the Knicks have received some good news ahead of Game 5 tonight.

New York Knicks Get Great News Before Facing Spurs in Game 5

Ahead of tonight’s game, the NBA has announced that Scott Foster will be the crew chief for the officials. That bodes well for New York if recent trends stay true.

As shared by Legion Hoops on X, the Knicks are 10-0 in their last 10 games with Foster being one of the referees.

Foster has become one of the most talked about referees in the NBA. Some call him “The Extender,” which has resulted from many teams being down in a series and winning with Foster leading the way from an officiating perspective.

That would give San Antonio more hope of winning Game 5. However, the fact of the matter is that New York has had a lot of success of late with Foster refereeing the game.

Only time will tell, but this is a positive trend for the Knicks.

What Happens If the Knicks Fail to Close Out the Spurs?

Should New York end up losing Game 5 tonight, the series would turn back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 on Tuesday night.

Wembanyama recently was asked about his team’s chances of coming back from the 3-1 deficit. What he had to say turned a lot of heads.

“Everybody knows we’re gonna do it,” he said. “I think it’d be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”

Despite the Spurs facing the potential end of their season, they remain extremely confident. They have a right to be confident as well. San Antonio has had big leads throughout the series, but has simply failed to close games out.

If the Spurs can learn from their mistakes in Game 4, they could extend the series. That being said, the Knicks are playing with a ton of confidence after their historic comeback win. They’re ready to make their championship a reality.