Josh Hart knew exactly how different the story could have looked if OG Anunoby had not finished the Knicks ' Game 4 miracle.
New York beat San Antonio 107-106 after erasing a 29-point deficit, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
The win pushed the Knicks into a 3-1 series lead, but Hart's relief after the buzzer showed how thin the line was between history and regret.
Hart was honest after the game, giving Anunoby the credit for turning a late scare into one of the greatest nights in Knicks history.
"It's neat. Obviously, at the end of the day, we gotta go out there and finish the job. We can't be complacent or happy about this because they're going to come out Saturday with their fans, and it's going to be a battle. This game was crazy. I got a special shoutout for OG because he saved me, at least for this game, a lifetime of regret."
Hart had missed a fast-break layup in the fourth quarter, one of two late mistakes that could have followed him forever if the Spurs had held on.
Anunoby changed that ending with a sequence that may define the series. He blocked De'Aaron Fox's late layup attempt, then crashed the glass after Jalen Brunson 's missed three and tipped in the winner with 1.2 seconds left.
Hart's series has still been valuable beyond scoring. Through four Finals games, he is averaging 6.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, playing the same connector role that has made him essential to New York's identity.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Still, Game 4 nearly became the night his miss mattered more than all that work. Anunoby made sure it did not.
The Knicks were seconds from letting a 29-point comeback turn into a brutal 2-2 tie. Instead, they are one win from their first championship since 1973.
Anunoby has also pushed himself to the front of the Finals MVP race. He is averaging 23.8 points while shooting 54.3 percent, and his 33-point Game 4 now sits beside the biggest shot of the series.
Brunson still has the star case after scoring 36 points in Game 4 and averaging 27.4 points and 6.2 assists in the playoffs, but Anunoby has the two-way signature moment.
Hart knows the job is not finished. He also knows the Knicks are heading to San Antonio with a lead, not a lifetime of regret.
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