For the fourth time in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks did not start off the game well in Wednesday night’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, going down 41-22 after the first 12 minutes.
It was actually the worst first quarter, in regards to point-differential, by New York not just in the series, but during the playoffs. And after dropping Game 3 on Monday night following another disappointing opening quarter, the Knicks vowed to get off to a better start in Game 4.
What happened instead, though, was New York falling behind by as many as 29 points and going into halftime down by 27 points. A good third quarter helped things slightly, but the Knicks still found themselves trailing by 20 points with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and almost assuredly leaving New York without a win while losing the momentum of the series as well.
Of course, that didn’t happen after the Knicks pulled off the largest comeback in NBA Finals history thanks to a complete shift in execution and OG Anunoby’s tip-in game-winner with 1.2 seconds left.
While New York is up 3-1 in the series and just one win away from its first NBA championship in more than 50 years, the series, which moves back to San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5, is far from over.
Therefore, the Knicks need to start playing like they did in the second half in the first quarter if they want to thwart any ideas of a comeback by the Spurs.
“We got a lot to learn in these next couple of days, but our mentality has to be 0-0 – the way it’s been,” Jalen Brunson said. “It has to be that way and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset could really benefit us. There’s nothing to celebrate because it’s not over yet. Not even close.”
Sure, Brunson is right. While New York hasn’t won anything just yet and the main celebration cannot commence, the team surely celebrated together following Game 4’s improbable comeback win.
But after all of that dies down and the Knicks get closer to Game 5, the goal will once again be to win at all costs.
“We can get excited and enjoy this, but we got one more to do,” Jose Alvarado said. “So that’s the main goal, the next game.”
If New York is able to enjoy a better first quarter, it will give it a better chance to come out on top. And even though it’s possible the Knicks can overcome yet another poor opening frame – let’s face it, they’ve done it three times already – it’s a dangerous way to live.
Sooner or later, New York’s luck will run out if it keeps putting itself into these tough positions. Remember Game 2 where San Antonio was one bad pass away from possibly winning the game?
One could even make the argument that the Spurs deserve to be up 3-1, not the Knicks. Of course, the most deserving don’t always get what they want, and it’s New York who is one win away, but it goes to show just how close San Antonio is and for the Knicks to not take it lightly.
“The most important thing for me over these next 48 hours is just focusing on what I can do to win Game 5,” Brunson said.
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