A tale of two halves: Knicks complete NBA Finals comeback for the ages

This was one of those moments.

The New York Knicks — a team that seeks its first championship in 53 seasons, now just one victory away — absolutely stunned the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a deficit that ballooned to 29 points.

The Knicks clamped down on the Spurs with fervor in the second half, with the Spurs missing 28 of their first 34 attempts after intermission. This was a game in which New York completely unraveled in the first half, only to course correct and play its most composed game of the season.

With this 3-1 lead, the Knicks inched closer to stamping their spot in NBA lore with one of the most remarkable runs in postseason history.

This took the entire team, from Jalen Brunson’s 36 points, to OG Anunoby’s 33 (including the game-winning tip-in and a torrid 7-of-9 from 3-point range).

This is the type of game that etches these players in the hearts and minds of a city. Years from now, they will talk about Wednesday night, about Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, about Anunoby. These players will become icons. Those in attendance will be telling the story of this game for the rest of their lives.

"Shoutout to our fans, man," Towns said after the game. "They stuck with us. It was an ugly, ugly game. We didn't bring it in the first half. But they stuck with us. They stayed in them seats and they kept cheering for us and they kept finding ways to give us energy.

"This is a testament to them, the grit, the resiliency, the way of New York. We, from the mud, found a way to get it done (after) the first half. As anyone who lives in New York knows, if you want to make it in this city, you have to be okay getting it out off the mud, and we did that tonight."

It was a victory so inconceivable, fans at home watching on TV may have turned off the game at halftime. Viewers were probably scouring the Internet for trivia and stats on biggest blowouts in NBA Finals history. To that end, the Spurs set multiple NBA records in the first half:

• NBA teams were 4-750 in the playoffs when down by 20-plus points in the fourth quarter in the playoffs in the last 30 years, according to NBA stats expert Keerthika Uthayakumar.
• In the first half, the Spurs set a record for most 3-pointers made in a half in Finals history with 14.
• The Spurs scored 76 points in the first half, the most points in the first half by a road team in NBA Finals history.
• The Spurs' 41-22 advantage after one — a 19-point difference — was the largest first quarter lead by a road team in Finals history.

The second half was an entirely different story.

Improbably, the Spurs missed 31 of their 39 second-half field goal attempts and 14 of their 17 3-point attempts. They shot just 20.5% from the floor as they first watched the Knicks cut their lead to 20, then to 10, then to 5 points before the Knicks finally completed what would have seemed an unthinkable comeback.

To say this was a tale of two halves doesn't do it justice. You need to read it to understand. This was our takeaway after the first half:

'Masterclass of self-sabotage': Knicks completely unravel in first half

The New York Knicks completely unraveled in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals and allowed frustrations with officiating to poison their mindset.

Arguably, this started in the moments after Game 3 ended, when Knicks coach Mike Brown opened his postgame press conference whining about officiating and a free throw discrepancy. Rather than galvanize the Knicks, that griping mentality spilled over into Game 4, contributing to New York’s overall undisciplined play.

All-Star center Towns, who became an essential piece of New York’s offensive operation, committed two fouls in the first 1:02 of the game. The second was wholly unnecessary, when he was driving to the hoop and had a step on Victor Wembanyama, but pinned Wembanyama’s arm to his body.

There was the Mitchell Robinson elbow into Wembanyama's throat, an eventual flagrant foul 1, which came after Wembanyama worked Robinson in the post to score a scoop lay-in. Wembanyama jawed at Robinson as both players made their way up the floor until Robinson’s frustrations boiled over.

Later in the second quarter, backup guard Jose Alvarado found himself needing to box out Wembanyama — giving up 16 inches in height — before he stumbled onto the court. As he got up, Alvarado needlessly hooked one of Wembanyama’s thighs. It resulted in an and-1 foul that tacked on a free throw to a made De’Aaron Fox 3.

It was a masterclass of self-sabotage, and it seeped into New York’s aggression, execution and overall disposition.

It’s tough enough to play in the NBA Finals, especially against an up-and-coming team with a singular and generational talent like Wembanyama. Yet, New York managed to manufacture a narrative that it also was playing against the officials. That’s a recipe for ruin.

The Knicks shot 29.4% in the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the Knicks committed 7 turnovers — compared to just 2 by San Antonio — yielding to a -11 differential in points off turnovers. On defense, New York was all over the place and allowed the Spurs to lace 14-of-26 attempts (53.8%) from beyond the arc, setting the record for most 3-pointers in a half in NBA Finals history.

Before Game 3 tipped off, this city was electric, fans were downright jubilant. The only question here concerned whether it would be a sweep or if the Spurs could find a way to extend the series.

Now, facing a 27-point deficit at the half, the Knicks ceded all momentum in the NBA Finals, with the series turning back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday.

The Knicks now need to save the series, and the only way they can do that is with a semblance of composure.

It turns out, New York found just that.