For the first half of Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game, the Knicks were in deep trouble. The Spurs put on a light-out performance, building a 76-49 lead. Just over two minutes into the third quarter, the Knicks’ deficit swelled to 29, all but assuring the series would head back to San Antonio even at two. OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson had other plans. The Knicks outscored San Antonio 55-26 over the last 21 minutes of the game, with Anunoby’s tip-in of Brunson’s errant three-point attempt putting New York ahead with 1.2 seconds remaining. Anunoby hounded Stephon Castle on the Spurs’ final possession to secure the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
The Knicks now stand just one win away from their first title since the 1972-73 season. That season’s Knicks team was led by point guard (and now beloved analyst) Walt “Clyde” Frazier and veteran forwards Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley. Franchise mercenary Willis Reed gritted through injuries, rounding out the starting five with shooting guard Earl Monroe. The Knicks breezed through the Baltimore Bullets in five games before battling with League MVP Dave Cowens and the Boston Celtics in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Celtics rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit to extend the series, but back in Boston for Game 7, Frazier dominated with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while New York’s defense held Boston to a weak 37% shooting night.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks matched up against Wilt Chamberlain’s Lakers, and much like this year’s series, every game went down to the wire. The Knicks nearly pulled off a huge comeback in the fourth quarter of the series opener, ultimately falling, 115-112. In Game 2, the Knicks survived an onslaught from Jerry West and Jim McMillan, evening up the series with a 99-95 victory behind Bradley’s 26 points and backup big man Phil Jackson’s 17 points off the bench. Game 3 was a defensive battle, with Reed finding his vintage form to rack up 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Knicks to an 87-83 win.
In Game 4, the Knicks built a 13-point lead in the first quarter and withstood a late rally by the Lakers, thanks in large part to DeBuscherre’s 33 points and another strong showing from Reed, who scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Back at The Forum in Game 5, the Knicks faced a halftime deficit, but a dominant 32-18 run put the Knicks ahead for good, securing the team’s second NBA championship with a 102-93 victory. Reed, who posted 18 points and 12 rebounds in the finale, won Finals MVP, while Monroe and Bradley each scored over 20 points, and Frazier chipped in 18.
Since then, the Knicks have gotten close to glory a couple of times. In the 1994 Finals, the Knicks took a 3-2 series over the Houston Rockets, but Hakeem Olajuwon dominated the final two games in Houston to hand New York a series defeat. In the strike-shortened 1999 season, the Knicks stunned the league by becoming the first eight-seed to make the Finals. However, the Spurs’ duo of 22-year-old Tim Duncan and grizzly veteran David Robinson was far too much to handle, as the Knicks fell in five games.
The Knicks are on the verge of avenging that 1999 Finals and putting 27 years of frustration in the rearview mirror. At every turn, the whole city has been behind them. Wednesday’s comeback was another example of this team’s resilience, and now they just have to finish the job.
