OG Anunoby Admitted He Wanted a Dunk — His Game 4 Tip-In Was Even Better Than Planned

There are game-winners, and then there are moments that freeze a franchise in time. OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left in Game 4 of the NBA Finals belongs to the latter. The New York Knicks had just completed a historic 29-point comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, and Anunoby’s putback capped off a rally that will be replayed for generations.

Speaking on Good Morning America the day after the Knicks clinched their first title since 1973, Anunoby revealed something that makes the play even more audacious. “I mean, I was trying to dunk it,” he said, smiling. The admission — casual, almost matter-of-fact — adds a layer of swagger to a play that already felt impossibly cool.

A Play That Broke the Game Open

With the Knicks trailing 106-105 in the final seconds, Jalen Brunson launched a 3-pointer from deep. The shot caromed off the back iron, but Anunoby read the trajectory perfectly. He soared in from the weak side, tipped the ball off the glass and through the net before the Spurs could react. The crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted. The series was effectively over.

Anunoby finished Game 4 with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, plus four rebounds. It wasn’t just the scoring — it was the timing. The Knicks had lost Game 3 and appeared to be losing control of the series. The fourth-quarter surge, capped by Anunoby’s tip, swung the momentum decisively back to New York.

“That’s one of the greatest moments in sports history,” Magic Johnson posted on social media shortly after the final buzzer. It was a rare, unsolicited coronation from a legend who knows something about clutch Finals moments.

From Hero to Champion

In Game 5, Anunoby didn’t need to repeat the heroics. He played 33 minutes, scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and added three steals as the Knicks closed out the series 94-90. The numbers were solid, but the narrative had already been written. Anunoby was the hero of the Finals, and the tip-in was the defining image.

The Knicks’ road to the title was long — decades of near-misses, rebuilds, and heartbreak. Brunson’s leadership, Tom Thibodeau’s defensive schemes, and a deep bench all contributed. But in the lore of New York basketball, the play that will endure is Anunoby’s tip-in. And now, with his own admission, fans can imagine the version where he slams it home instead.

“I was trying to dunk it,” he said. He settled for a championship instead.