The New York Knicks are one win away from their first championship in 51 years, and the path they’re taking looks almost identical to the one that ended the franchise’s last title drought. It’s not just that they lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-1 in the NBA Finals — it’s how they’ve gotten there.
Every single game in this series has been within four points in the final minute of regulation. According to NBA Communications, the last Finals series to open with four such consecutive nail-biters was in 1973 — the last time the Knicks won it all.
“Each of the first four games of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs has been within four points in the final minute of regulation,” the league posted on X. “The last Finals series to begin with four such games was in 1973, when the Knicks faced the Lakers.”
That year, New York beat Los Angeles in five games. Now, they have a chance to close out San Antonio on Saturday in Game 5 at the AT&T Center.
Game 4 Was Pure Chaos — and the Knicks Refused to Break
The Spurs looked like they were about to even the series in Game 4, storming to a 29-point lead in the first half. San Antonio had dominated on both ends, and the Knicks appeared lost. Then, slowly — possession by possession — New York clawed back.
By the fourth quarter, the Knicks had erased the deficit and turned the game into a one-possession slugfest. The final sequence summed up everything about this grind-it-out squad. OG Anunoby, who has emerged as an unlikely postseason hero, made a crucial defensive stop on De’Aaron Fox. Then, with the clock winding down, he tipped in Jalen Brunson’s missed three-point attempt for what became the game-winning basket in a 107-106 victory.
“That play is going to live forever in Knicks history if they finish this off,” one fan posted on Reddit as replays circulated online.
A Franchise on the Brink of Redemption
The Knicks have not hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy since 1973. For decades, the franchise has been defined by dysfunction, bad contracts, and playoff heartbreak. This season, under head coach Tom Thibodeau, the narrative has flipped. The team has not confirmed anything about a potential championship parade, but fans online have already started mapping out routes through Manhattan.
“There’s something different about this group,” one Knicks superfan told a local outlet after Game 4. “They never quit. Even down 29, you could feel they believed.”
Whether that belief carries them to the title remains to be seen. But the parallels to 1973 are impossible to ignore — and for a long-suffering fan base, that feels less like coincidence and more like fate.
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