Ridiculously clutch gene from Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby lands Knicks one win from NBA title

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Ridiculously clutch gene from Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby lands Knicks one win from NBA title

Drew Maresca, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Jun 12, 2026 ·

3 min read

Knicks made history with comeback win

The Knicks stormed back after digging themselves into a 29-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs early in the second half of Game 4. Instead of panicking, as most teams would do, New York did what they do—and that's chipping away at big leads.

After surrendering 76 points in the first half, the Knicks held the Spurs to only 30 points in the second half. They stormed back behind incredibly clutch play from several players, including OG Anunoby , Karl-Anthony Towns , Jose Alvarado , and Jalen Brunson .

Brunson and Anunoby were especially important to the Knicks' third win in the series. Brunson put up 36 points, including nine in the fourth quarter—and one incredibly timely 3-pointer over the impossibly long arms of Victor Wembanyama . And Anunoby contributed 33 points—including the game-winning tip-in—as well as a game-saving block that enabled his go-ahead bucket.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Knicks comebacks are no longer surprising

These types of wins have become a common occurrence. New York is 10-9 when trailing by double-digits over the last two postseasons. And they are 16-18 when trailing by 10 or more in the playoffs since Brunson joined the team—that translates to the most double-digit comeback playoff wins in that time span.

The Knicks' resolve extends to larger defects, too. While all other teams are 4-71 over the past two postseasons when they go down by 20 or more points in the postseason—which makes sense as large deficits are difficult to overcome—New York is 5-3 in that same timespan. And they are 2-0 in the 2026 playoffs under such conditions.

Additionally, the Knicks secured two of the five biggest NBA Finals comebacks ever— in only the first four games, which includes the 29-point comeback in Game 4 and a 14-point comeback in Game 1.

Knicks' culture deserves credit

This all speaks to a top-down approach set by head coach Mike Brown, as well as their captain (Brunson). And it's infectious. Look at Towns, who had developed a reputation for being both a sub-par defender and someone who did not perform in crunch time.

Game 4 perfectly embodied Towns' growth. He not only made clutch buckets, but he has also developed into the Knicks' primary and most capable defender of Wembanyama. That's an unbelievable leap for an 11th-year veteran. Think about this—a guy who was looked at as a defensive liability is now capably defending the most unique offensive player in the league. And that's to the credit of Brown and the Knicks' culture.

All of the above led to this. The Knicks are one win from their first championship since 1973. That's 53 long years. The Knicks' list of championship-less hopefuls includes Bernard King. Patrick Ewing. Allan Houston. And Carmelo Anthony . Thankfully, most of them have been present in The Garden for this run. And hopefully they're willing to travel—because the championship might be secured on the road.