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Placing a piece of art in the Louvre Museum is one thing, but creating a masterpiece in real time that will echo throughout generations is different, rare even. There is Michael Jordan's iconic game-winner against the Utah Jazz in 1998, and LeBron James' block that shifted the momentum for the Cleveland Cavaliers to defy the odds of being down 3-1. Now, OG Anunoby will sit alongside these greats as he tipped the ball in to get the New York Knicks a 3-1 NBA Finals series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
Anunoby ignites greatest Knicks crowd pop, gets 3-1 NBA Finals lead vs. Spurs
Let's set the canvas for this piece of art. The Knicks were down by as much as 29 points throughout Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama was unstoppable alongside Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox. It was a foregone conclusion that Larry David, Timothee Chalamet, Walt Frazier, Taylor Swift, and the others on celebrity row would go home sad.
Then, like the lyrics in Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind, the lights started inspiring OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson. The Knicks went on a 58-point tear in the second half.
Scoring was the easy part, but the rough strokes of this rugged painting came in the defense. Wembanyama, the person who towered over the rest of the competition and everyone else in Madison Square Garden, looked small. The result? The young Spurs team was limited to 14 points in the third quarter and 16 points in the final period.
Still, the Spurs just needed a single stop. Great artists stared all around the Mecca of basketball; stars who usually emit sound to inspire and bring people to emotions were left holding their breath. Then, history struck. He went by the last name of Anunoby.
OG TIPS THE BALL IN FOR THE LEAD 🤯pic.twitter.com/INr16Auq8J
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 11, 2026The city that never sleeps just rallied to have the biggest single-game comeback in NBA Finals history. The usual site of the American dream's fulfillment was the place to be. The poetic part? A British-born champion, raised by Nigerian parents and who played in Canada, was the one who rocked the sport's sacred ground. Game 4 was the perfect painting of what the Knicks and the city stood for.
Make no mistake: the Spurs may have a seven-foot-four-inch alien, but even Wembanyama cannot outdo the reach of Lady Liberty's symbolic stature. Truly, it really is up to you, New York.
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