When the New York Knicks traded for OG Anunoby in the winter of 2023, they knew they were getting stability in the form of an outstanding player with championship experience.
What they dreamed was that transaction would constitute one of the final pieces of solving a championship puzzle that had been left unsolved in New York for more than 50 years.
With his performances across the NBA Finals and a pair of iconic plays in a pivotal Game 4, OG helped bring a title back to the five boroughs and cement himself as an all time New York Knicks legend.
The Knicks completed one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history on Saturday, beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. But without two tremendous plays from Anunoby in that Game 4 with a series tie or 3-1 Knicks lead hanging in the balance, things might have been a lot different.
New York trailed Game 4 by as many as 29 points. But with the never-say-die mentality that carried them to countless comebacks during a 53-win regular season, and during a postseason run that saw them pile up 13 straight wins before a Game 3 loss in the Finals, the Knicks refused to quit on taking Game 4 and pushing San Antonio to the brink.
They slowly chipped away, making smart and decisive plays on both ends of the floor. By the end of the third quarter New York had cut San Antonio’s lead , which had once again swelled to nearly 30 in the opening moments of the second half, down to 15. OG had 11 points and knocked down all three shots he attempted from beyond the arc in that third quarter. His steady hand kept the Knicks afloat.
When he hit another three with seven minutes remaining it pulled New York within 11. Another – his fifth on five second half three-point attempts – with 4:34 remaining made it a four-point game and shook Madison Square Garden.
Two buckets each from Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado over the next four minutes had the Knicks up one, but San Antonio pulled back up by one with 30 seconds left and when the Knicks misfired with 16 seconds left, De’Aaron Fox took off up the court. Fox could have attempted to dribble out the clock and eventually draw a foul, but he thought he had enough space for a layup to make it a three-point game. Enter OG.
With a chasedown block of Fox’s shot, OG gave the Knicks life with five seconds remaining down one.
“He gave us a chance to win and that’s all you can ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA,” said Karl-Anthony Towns.
On the ensuing offensive possession in the halfcourt, OG was the inbounder. He got the ball into Jalen Brunson, who wasted no time firing. Though his shot missed the mark, OG was left unchecked off the inbounds, crashed the paint from the sideline and followed Brunson’s shot, tipping the ball through to give the Knicks the lead with two seconds remaining. Madness at Madison Square Garden.
Knicks coach Mike Brown called it “the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.”
OG said his immediate reaction was just turning his attention to the stop they needed.
“The game wasn’t over,” he said. “I looked up to see the time. If it would’ve been 0.0, I would have been more excited, but it was just 1.2 left. So just knowing: Get a stop now, just stay with it, staying present, not getting too happy because the game is not over yet.”
The Spurs didn’t even get a shot off and New York took a 3-1 series lead to San Antonio for Game 5. OG finished Game 4 with 33 points. He had only scored more points three times in more than 200 games since joining the Knicks.
“Regardless of what the outside world thinks of him,” Brunson said of Anunoby, “we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room.”
The stats behind OG’s performance in helping the Knicks close it out in Game 5 weren’t as eye-popping, but the man the Knicks brought in to complete the puzzle two-and-a-half years ago did the little things to help New York capture its first championship. He scored 11 points, grabbed eight boards, recorded three steals.
His dunk with two minutes remaining gave the Knicks a three-point lead. In the closing moments he grabbed rebounds and sank free throws. He was once again the steady hand New York needed. It’s a role he was born to play.
“Unbelievable,” teammate Mikal Bridges said of Anunoby. “He’s different, man. I’m happy he’s on my team.”
