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Zach Kram @zachkram.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Morning, NBA fans! Live now for ESPN, I explored the anatomy of a historic Knicks comeback and a historic Spurs collapse. (Link in next post.)

Playoff basketball is a zero-sum game. Every point scored is someone else's point allowed, every win is someone else's loss, every historic comeback is someone else's historic collapse.

There's no other word for what befell the Spurs on Wednesday: collapse. San Antonio fans have experienced other painful playoff losses this century, but they were gut punches in a single moment, crystallized in a single play: Derek Fisher beating the clock in the 2004 playoffs, Manu Ginobili fouling Dirk Nowitzki in 2006 and Ray Allen splashing a corner 3 in 2013.

In Game 4, conversely, San Antonio's downfall unfolded over the course of an excruciating hour, as a 29-point lead dwindled and withered and ultimately disappeared. The Spurs famously espouse the philosophy of the stonecutter who knows that his first 100 strikes with a hammer are just as important as the 101st blow that finally splits the rock in two. On Wednesday, the Spurs were the metaphorical rock, unable to ward off strike after strike after strike from the Knicks' relentless hammer until Anunoby's tip dealt the final blow.

Zach Kram @zachkram.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

NBA Finals Game 4: Anatomy of Knicks' comeback, Spurs' collapse

The Knicks rallied back from a 29-point second-half deficit to shock the Spurs in Game 4. Here's how they did it -- and got closer to an NBA title.