In one of the most stunning reversals in basketball history, the New York Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. Trailing by 27 at halftime and seemingly headed for a 2-2 series tie, the Knicks stormed back behind Jalen Brunson’s 36 points and OG Anunoby’s career-high 33, the latter crashing the offensive glass to tip in the winner with 1.2 seconds left. The victory, the largest rally ever seen in the championship round, gives New York a commanding 3-1 lead and puts the franchise on the verge of its first title since 1973.

The reverberations were felt far beyond Madison Square Garden. Across the United States, the comeback dominated news cycles, with analysts excoriating the Spurs’ collapse — Charles Barkley labeling San Antonio “the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation” — and celebrity fans like Taylor Swift and Timothée Chalamet joining delirious street celebrations. In Europe, the drama eclipsed even the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Italian and German commentators noting that “in New York only the Knicks exist” and wondering whether football could match such civic electricity. Latin American media, meanwhile, drew parallels to football legend Diego Maradona, likening Anunoby’s tip-in to the “Hand of God” — a metaphor for a miraculous, destiny-laden intervention.

The fallout was brutal for the Spurs. Head coach Mitch Johnson faced heavy criticism for his team’s second-half paralysis, while reports emerged of projectiles thrown at center Victor Wembanyama outside the team hotel. Inside a silent locker room, the psychological damage appeared profound; the Spurs had led by double digits with six minutes to play before being undone by a chaotic final sequence. As the series shifts to Texas for Game 5, questions mount over whether they can recover from the biggest collapse in Finals history, or whether the Knicks will close out a championship that has galvanised a global diaspora of long-suffering fans.

Viewed from London, the series has underscored the NBA’s growing international pull, buoyed by increasingly partisan crowds and high-stakes drama that resonates across continents. With President Donald Trump’s attendance at Game 3 having already delivered a ratings spike, the league finds itself at the centre of a cultural whirlwind. For New York, a city simultaneously hosting the World Cup opener, the Knicks’ triumph has momentarily stolen the spotlight, raising the tantalising possibility of a first championship parade in 53 years. Game 5 on Saturday promises either coronation or the start of an improbable Spurs resurrection.