Knicks reach 3-1 lead with historic comeback, now on the brink of the NBA title

ESPN NBA writer Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the New York Knicks have moved 3-1 ahead in their Finals series with the San Antonio Spurs. Trailing by 22 in the third quarter of Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks closed the game on an 18-1 run in the fourth quarter.

The MVP of the game was again Jalen Brunson. The Knicks guard scored 36 points and led for points scored in the final three minutes with 11. Brunson's 72% shooting in the fourth quarter is simply not read in parallel with team history.

The turning point came when Victor Wembanyama spent the final five minutes on the bench in foul trouble. The young French star had earlier picked up a warning for a flagrant; once he came off the floor, the Spurs lost offensive efficiency.

The Knicks moving 3-1 up in the Finals puts the team on the brink of its first title since 1973. By ESPN's count, 257 of 274 NBA Finals series have been won by the team leading 3-1. Mathematically that puts the Knicks at a 93.8% probability.

Another notable name on the night was Knicks forward OG Anunoby. His end-of-game line of 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists stands out among the items that held the team's defensive edge together.

Wembanyama is having the hardest postseason of his young career. The star, who averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds in the first three Finals games, played fewer than 27 minutes in Game 4 due to foul trouble. ESPN reports no injury concern.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, in ESPN's post-game locker-room read, sent the team the line: "We are not done yet." Game 5 is in San Antonio at the AT&T Center; the return pressure of the series now swings back to the Spurs.

This series points to one of the most intense sporting nights at MSG in the past decade. ESPN says viewership for Game 4 was the highest first-night audience since the 1998 Finals Game 6 — about 16.4 million US households tuned in.

The financial impact is also large for the city. The Knicks reaching the Finals translates, by NBA PR estimates, into roughly $240 million in additional retail and hotel revenue for the New York metro area. In the stands, sponsors have also priced in the atmosphere of the series.

Game 5 date: tomorrow night, local 20:30, AT&T Center, San Antonio. Knicks fans are ready to take the last step in a Finals they have waited 53 years for; the Spurs need one of the least probable comebacks in NBA history.