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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against the New York Knicks during the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (Al Bello\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Al Bello\/Al Bello\/Pool Getty Images via A<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama shoots against the New York Knicks during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (Al Bello\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Al Bello\/Al Bello\/Pool Getty Images via A<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, drives as New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby, left, defends during the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Ross D. Franklin\/AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin<\/p>\n
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots past San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle during first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Ross D. Franklin\/AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell passes the ball as New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25), guard Jalen Brunson (11) and center Ariel Hukporti (55) defend during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Frank Franklin II\/AP Photo\/Frank Franklin II<\/p>\n
SAN ANTONIO (AP) \u2014 Victor Wembanyama surely knew he was overstating the obvious, when he pointed out that there are there are two possible outcomes for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
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\u2014 San Antonio wins and extends the series.<\/p>\n
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\u2014 New York wins and becomes NBA champions.<\/p>\n
That’s it. It’s one or the other. After 1,321 games \u2014 1,230 in the regular season, 84 in the playoffs, six more in the play-in tournament and one between the Spurs and Knicks that decided the NBA Cup \u2014 it really is that simple. If Wembanyama and the Spurs win in San Antonio, the season lives for at least one more game. If the Knicks win, all that’ll be left in this season will be a parade.<\/p>\n
The Spurs trail the series 3-1 and Wembanyama understands the reality. Of the previous 38 teams that trailed 3-1 in the NBA Finals, 37 wound up watching the other team celebrate the title. And if that bit of history didn’t look daunting enough, the Spurs will try to climb out of this 3-1 hole after the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history \u2014 wasting a 29-point lead in a Game 4 loss at New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going to go one of two ways,\u201d Wembanyama said shortly after Wednesday’s 107-106 loss in Game 4, a game where the Spurs were outscored 55-25 in the final 21 1\/2 minutes. \u201cOne of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Thursday was an off day for the teams, at least in terms of formal practices. Both sides are scheduled to practice in San Antonio on Friday, and then Game 5 is there on Saturday night \u2014 with the Knicks one win away from what would be their first championship in 53 years.<\/p>\n
New York won Games 1 and 2 of the finals in San Antonio \u2014 rallying from double-digit deficits in both games \u2014 to take command of the series. The Knicks, with a win Saturday, would become the first team since Houston in 1995 to go 3-0 on the Spurs’ floor in a single postseason series.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mentality has to be 0-0, the way it\u2019s been,\u201d Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said, repeating the mantra he’s cited time and time again in this postseason run. \u201cIt has to be that way, and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset can really benefit us. There’s nothing to celebrate. It\u2019s not over yet, not even close.\u201d<\/p>\n
It’s common sense for the team with a 3-1 lead to hold off on celebrating. But in this case, there’s also some truth to what Brunson is saying.<\/p>\n
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Yes, the 3-1 deficit has been proven to be virtually insurmountable in NBA history; the only team that successfully escaped its grip in the finals was LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, when they rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors for that title.<\/p>\n
This series, however, isn’t exactly a statistical runaway.<\/p>\n
The Knicks have outscored the Spurs by a total of eight points over the four games. Shooting is basically even; the Knicks are at 44%, the Spurs at 43%. The Knicks have made 52 3-pointers, the Spurs 49. Free-throw percentage, Knicks 79%, Spurs 78%. The Knicks have three more rebounds and both teams have exactly 90 assists through four games.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust take this one game at a time,\u201d said Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, who took heavy criticism for electing to try a layup \u2014 which was blocked \u2014 in the final seconds of Game 4 instead of taking time off the clock with a one-point lead. \u201cIt obviously looks like a steep hill, but this is something that\u2019s happened before. Take this thing one game at a time. We\u2019ve been in a position to win all these games. We\u2019ve been up double digits. We have to figure out what we need to do to be able to put some of these games away.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It has been a baffling problem for the Spurs.<\/p>\n
They led Game 1 by one with 1:51 left, then lost after the Knicks finished on an 11-0 run.<\/p>\n
They had the ball in a tie game with 11 seconds left in Game 2, then lost after Wembanyama threw a pass that Stephon Castle never saw and became a turnover that led to Brunson’s game-winning free throw.<\/p>\n
And now, this \u2014 a 29-point lead wasted in Game 4, and they still led by one until Anunoby’s tip-in with 2.1 seconds left.<\/p>\n
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“We have to try to put this behind us,” Fox said.<\/p>\n
If they don’t, the Knicks’ 53-year wait for a title could end Saturday night.<\/p>\n
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