As the series shifts back to San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5, the mood around the Knicks remains euphoric after Wednesday’s astonishing comeback from 29 points down. But the aftermath of that victory has produced almost as many headlines as the game itself.
New York police said 56 people were taken into custody following post-game unrest around Madison Square Garden, where authorities estimated roughly 10,000 fans gathered after the final buzzer. Ten officers were injured, including one who was struck in the head by a glass bottle. Police said charges ranged from assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct to weapons possession.
New York police arrest a fan amid the celebrations after Game 4 on Wednesday night in New York. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Authorities said 56 people were taken into custody after Wednesday’s game. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
The disorder extended beyond the streets surrounding the Garden. Video circulating online showed Spurs star Victor Wembanyama being jeered by fans as he returned to his Manhattan hotel after the game, with an egg tossed in his direction as security escorted him inside. Wembanyama had already spoken out earlier in the week after videos emerged appearing to show Spurs supporters being harassed in the city.
The French star struck a largely defiant tone on Friday as San Antonio attempted to regroup from the largest comeback victory in NBA finals history. “We’re over it. It’s the playoffs,” Wembanyama said of the collapse, adding that the hotel incident “doesn’t bother me”.
No single play can explain how a team squanders a 29-point lead in the NBA finals. But when historians look back on Game 4, they will probably start with De’Aaron Fox racing toward the basket with a one-point lead and less than 15 seconds remaining. Instead of forcing the Knicks to foul, Fox attacked the rim. OG Anunoby blocked his lay-up attempt. Moments later, the Knicks had completed the largest comeback in finals history. Here’s our closer look at the decision that changed everything.
Preamble
For more than half a century, New York has waited for this. Through blackouts and bankruptcies, dynasties and rebuilds, celebrities courtside and coaches on the hot seat, the Knicks have spent 53 years searching for a championship. Tonight, they are one victory from ending the wait.
Game 4 looked over long before it was finished. The Spurs led by 29 points midway through the third quarter and appeared to have wrestled control of the NBA finals back from New York. Then everything unraveled. The Knicks stormed back with the largest comeback in finals history, erasing the deficit before OG Anunoby’s putback with 1.2 seconds remaining delivered a stunning 107-106 victory and a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The result left the basketball world asking two questions. How did San Antonio let it happen? And can the Spurs possibly recover?
A cutout portrait of Jalen Brunson stands on the plaza outside City Hall in New York. Photograph: Gina M Randazzo/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
History is not on their side. Only one team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA finals series. Yet this matchup has been far closer than the standings suggest. Through four games, the Knicks have outscored San Antonio by only eight points. Three contests have been decided in the final seconds. The margins separating triumph and disaster have been razor thin.
That is only part of what makes tonight’s potential closeout game so compelling.
The Knicks have arrived in Texas with a chance to end one of the longest championship droughts in American professional sports and begin preparations for a parade through Manhattan. The Spurs return home convinced they have been good enough to win every game in this series and determined to force a trip back to New York.
One side is chasing history. The other is trying to prevent becoming a footnote in it. Game 5 tips off at 7.30pm local time or 8.30 in New York, roughly an hour from now.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s what Victor Wembanyama had to say about Wednesday’s historic collapse by San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama says the San Antonio Spurs have shaken off the biggest single-game collapse in NBA finals history and are ready to face the New York Knicks on Saturday.
The Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to hand the Spurs a crushing 107-106 victory in Game 4 of the series and can win their first title since 1973 with victory in San Antonio.
“There were a thousand ways we could have not lost that game,” Wembanyama told reporters at practice on Friday. “It felt like there was a time to process this, to really dwell on it, but not any more. We’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
That, he added, also goes for having had eggs thrown at him and a water bottle tossed at the team bus in New York.
“I didn’t really think much of it,” he said. “Obviously it’s not good at all. But it doesn’t bother me.”
