Jalen Brunson Pinpoints Remarkable Moment He Knew Knicks Would Win Game 4

The Knicks' self-belief and ability to overcome big leads has come to define the Jalen Brunson era.

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson had a good feeling about Game 4 far earlier than anyone else.

The New York Knicks on Wednesday pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, overcoming a 29-point third-quarter deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 107-106.

The Knicks gradually, painstakingly clawed their way back into the game, making a series of mini-runs. They had cut the lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter. There was no massive, 12-0 run in the fourth — just little runs to chip away at the Spurs’ lead.

The Knicks finally took the lead on a Brunson floater with 1:22 to play. A few plays later, Spurs guard Stephon Castle gave the Spurs the lead again with a pair of free throws.

The Knicks had one last shot to win the game, with 5.7 seconds remaining, down one. Brunson missed a deep, pull-up three-pointer, but OG Anunoby skied into the lane, uncontested, and tipped the ball in, putting the Knicks up one with 1.2 seconds to play. The Spurs did not get off a shot on the other end, and the Knicks’ historic comeback was complete.

To most, it was hard to believe the Knicks, after playing so lackadaisically — some would say, poorly — for most of the night had come back to win until the final buzzer sounded.

Brunson, however, began believing much earlier. Asked by the “Inside the NBA” crew after the game when he began to think the Knicks would win, Brunson pinpointed a much earlier time during an exchange with his dad and Knicks assistant coach, Rick Brunson.

“We kept chipping away. So when it got down to, like, 15 in the fourth, I remember looking at Pops and him looking at me and he says, ‘We’re winning this game.’ And I was like, ‘Alright.’”

Jalen Brunson

The Knicks never count themselves out

That type of self-belief has come to define the Knicks through this playoff run and the whole Brunson era. They came back from 22 points down in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime. They had three 20-point comebacks during last year’s postseason.

This, however, was another level. The Knicks were sluggish and ineffective for much of the first quarter, rattled by the Spurs’ physicality, laser focus, and near-perfect execution on offense. The Spurs shot 59.6% from the field and 53.8% from three in the first half. They were bound to cool off in the second half, but their lead was so large, and the Knicks were so off-kilter, that it was hard to envision the Knicks closing the gap all the way.

They did, thanks in large part, to 36 combined points on 13-of-20 combined shooting from Brunson and Anunoby in the second half. However, Brunson and the Knicks envisioned it happening before the rest of the NBA world.