The San Antonio Spurs have been 24 minutes away from seizing management of the 2026 NBA Finals. As a substitute, they walked off the Madison Sq. Backyard flooring going through some of the painful losses in franchise historical past and a 3-1 collection deficit.
The fallout was quick.
Talking after Sport 4, Corridor of Famer Charles Barkley delivered a brutal evaluation of San Antonio’s second-half meltdown.
“We noticed the dumbest basketball staff within the historical past of civilization,” Barkley mentioned after watching the Spurs squander a 29-point lead in a 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening.
The criticism mirrored the magnitude of the collapse. San Antonio led 81-52 halfway by way of the third quarter and appeared on track to even the collection at two video games apiece. As a substitute, the Knicks produced the most important comeback ever recorded in an NBA Finals recreation, erasing a deficit that surpassed the earlier Finals benchmark of 24 factors.
The Spurs regarded unstoppable early. They buried 11 of their first 16 makes an attempt from three-point vary and carried a 57-32 benefit after Julian Champagnie’s three-pointer late within the second quarter. By halftime, San Antonio held a 27-point lead, the most important halftime benefit by a street staff in NBA Finals historical past.
Then every thing unraveled.
After scoring 57 factors within the first half, the Spurs managed simply 49 after intermission. New York dominated the third quarter, holding San Antonio to solely 14 factors on 4-for-20 capturing. The Spurs completed the second half simply 3-for-17 from past the arc after their blistering begin and have been outscored 58-30 over the ultimate two quarters.
Victor Wembanyama posted 24 factors, 13 rebounds and three blocks, however he wanted 25 pictures to get there and missed two vital free throws with 1:47 remaining and San Antonio holding a one-point lead. De’Aaron Fox added 18 factors and 7 assists, whereas Devin Vassell scored 18 on an environment friendly 6-for-9 capturing evening. Rookie Dylan Harper supplied a significant activate the bench with 21 factors on 8-for-12 capturing.
But none of these contributions have been sufficient to beat the staff’s late-game execution points.
The Knicks repeatedly capitalized on defensive breakdowns and second-chance alternatives. Jalen Brunson completed with 36 factors and 7 assists, whereas OG Anunoby delivered one of many defining performs in franchise historical past. With New York trailing by one within the remaining seconds, Brunson’s deep three-point try hit the entrance rim earlier than Anunoby soared for a tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.
The basket accomplished a comeback that appeared not possible simply an hour earlier.
For San Antonio, the defeat was particularly damaging as a result of it shifted your complete trajectory of the collection. The Spurs entered Sport 4 because the Western Convention champions after profitable 62 regular-season video games and surviving a seven-game convention finals battle in opposition to Oklahoma Metropolis. A victory would have tied the Finals at 2-2 heading again to Texas.
As a substitute, the Spurs now face a 3-1 deficit. Just one staff in NBA Finals historical past—the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers—has efficiently recovered from that place to win the championship.
