Karl-Anthony Towns has been around long enough to know when a teammate deserves more than a simple pat on the back. So before Game 5 of the NBA Finals, with the New York Knicks holding a 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs, Towns stepped to the microphone and delivered a line that even the strictest grammar teachers would approve of.
“You can’t spell God without OG,” Towns said, referencing OG Anunoby’s initials during a media session.
It was a clever quip, sure. But it came with real weight behind it. Because without Anunoby’s two-way brilliance in the final seconds of Game 4, the Knicks might be heading back to San Antonio tied 2-2 instead of one win away from ending a championship drought that stretches back more than 50 years.
The Block That Saved the Series
With the Knicks down by a point and just seconds left on the clock, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox broke loose for what looked like an easy transition layup. The kind of bucket that would have put the game out of reach.
Anunoby had other ideas.
He sprinted from somewhere off-screen, closed the gap, and swatted Fox’s shot off the glass — a play that kept the Knicks alive and immediately shifted the energy inside Madison Square Garden. On the very next possession, Jalen Brunson’s jumper rattled off the rim, and there was Anunoby again, crashing the boards and tipping it back in to give New York a one-point lead with 1.2 seconds left.
The Spurs had one final heave. It didn’t fall. And the Knicks walked off winners, thanks almost entirely to a guy who just kept running when everyone else slowed down.
More Than a One-Play Wonder
Anunoby’s late-game heroics in Game 4 were dramatic, but they weren’t out of character. The former Indiana standout has quietly been one of the most reliable players in these playoffs. Through the postseason, he’s averaging a career-best 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game — and he’s doing it on ridiculously efficient shooting splits: 57.8% from the field, 50.6% from deep, and 86.7% from the free-throw line.
Those numbers aren’t just good. They’re elite, especially for a player whose defensive reputation has always been louder than his offensive production. Now, in the biggest moments of his career, he’s proving he can do both sides of the ball at an All-NBA level.
What It Means for Game 5
If the Knicks close out this series at home in Game 5, Anunoby’s Game 4 performance will be remembered as the turning point. And if Towns’ wordplay is any indication, his teammates understand exactly what’s at stake.
The Spurs, meanwhile, will have to find an answer for a player who can shut down their best guard on one end and knock down clutch shots on the other. That’s not an easy adjustment to make in 48 hours.
For New York, the math is simple: keep feeding Anunoby, keep letting him chase down breakaways, and don’t stop spelling his name the way Towns did.
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