Jason Burgos
The reactions from New York Knicks players to their historic comeback win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals show they are indeed a team of destiny.
On Wednesday night, NBA fans watched as basketball history played out in front of their eyes. For the first two quarters of the Game 4 clash between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, the game was a one-sided beatdown. For a second straight game on their home court, New York seemed off, and the Spurs looked like they could miss nothing as they reigned threes down at an amazing rate.
However, slowly but surely, the Knicks kept chipping away at a 29-point deficit starting in the third quarter. It wasn’t easy, and at multiple times the Spurs slowed their foes’ momentum and ballooned the lead back up to the mid-20s. However, with a little over seven minutes left in the game, New York got the lead down to 15 points, and they had momentum on their side.
But a total comeback and taking the lead in the final minute seemed like a fairytale scenario. However, that is what the Knicks were somehow able to do, and they scored the most improbable and epic comeback win in not just the NBA Finals, but maybe league history.
Some of it was luck, some of it was grit and heart, but either way, after achieving another wild 20-plus point comeback in these playoffs, this Knicks team just seems like one that has a date with championship destiny. After the game, the reactions from New York players explained why this group is different.
“We were down 29, but it was still positive. No one getting down, no one getting mad, just staying with it, knowing it’s a game of runs,” OG Anunoby said about his teammates minutes after he scored the tip-in that gave the Knicks the lead one last time.
Few would have been shocked if Knicks players did roll over and die underneath the weight of such a massive deficit and against an elite, talented team. Yet, this group continues to prove why their winning mentality is impressive in the best and worst of times. And that comes from the top down.
“Our mentality has to be 0-0, the way it’s been. It has to be that way,” Knicks captain Jalen Brunson said after the game. “Us moving forward with that mindset can really benefit us, but there’s nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet. Not even close.”
That mindset of always seeing things as 0-0 is something he and his teammates have hammered home throughout these playoffs, and even one of the greatest comeback wins of all time won’t change that. They still have a bigger goal that is over 50 years in the making, nearly in their grasp.
One of the best post-game reactions came from New York native Jose Alvarado, who played a key role in the Knicks’ win with his strong play in the fourth quarter. He, as much as anyone, knows what the victory and being one win away from the team’s first championship since 1973 means to the city.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this. I was about to cry,” he said after being part of a legendary moment. “Obviously, we want more. But because I am in Madison Square Garden, playing with these guys, and we are playing for something special. It was something I really can’t put into words. But we can get excited and joyous, but we’ve got one more to do, and that’s the next goal.”
This team is just different, and they seem to be dancing with destiny.
