Every once in a while, you see something you’ve never seen before. Something that makes the impossible, possible, regardless of what the odds say. On June 10, the New York Knicks gave fans another moment that will forever be a snapshot in time.
Erasing a 29-point lead in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Knicks’ comeback story is one that will be told for years to come. You’ll remember where you were, what the weather was like, what you ate for dinner and maybe the first call or text you made in the immediate aftermath of the OG Anunoby shot heard around the sports world.
Whether the comeback is the greatest in sports history is up for debate. At the very least, Game 4 of the NBA Finals went from being a game Knicks fans couldn’t wait to turn off to being a game they can’t relive enough.
Now on the doorstep of their first NBA title since 1973, the job isn’t finished. In the meantime, let’s put the comeback into context.
Here’s a look at how the Knicks’ comeback compares to the New England Patriots‘ famous 28-3 comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, by the numbers.
Knicks comeback compared to Patriots’ 28-3, by the numbers
Largest lead
The Spurs held a 29-point lead with 9:40 to go in the third quarter, meaning they just had to survive for another 21 minutes and 40 seconds of game time. On the gridiron, the Falcons were up 28-3 with 8:31 to go in the third quarter. They held that lead until just over two minutes remaining in the quarter, when New England cut the deficit to 19.
Score at the start of the fourth quarter
There was a sense of impending doom for both the Falcons and Spurs entering the fourth quarter. Both sides had to know that no lead was safe against an opponent that had proven time and time again their ability to mount large comebacks.
Still, both teams held a double-digit lead entering the final quarter:
- Falcons led 28-9
- Spurs led 90-75
99%
That was the win probability for the Spurs and Falcons in the game, according to ESPN Analytics. San Antonio’s win probability topped out at 99.6% when a De’Aaron Fox jumper put them up by 29. Despite the dwindling lead, the Spurs still had a 99.5% chance of winning with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
As for the Falcons, they still had a 97.5% chance of winning with just 4:40 to go. It was down the peak of Atlanta’s win probability, which was 99.7% before the Patriots’ third quarter touchdown.
1
The number of points the Knicks won by in Game 4. It’s also the number of leads the Patriots had in Super Bowl 51. That’s right, New England’s one and only lead of that contest was the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Key moments in Knicks, Patriots comebacks
Comebacks of this magnitude aren’t possible without a little big of luck and good fortune. Luckily for the Patriots and Knicks, their opponents were willing to provide plenty of opportunity.
Here are a few turning points:
Knicks-Spurs turning point
The Spurs’ demise can be traced back to the 10:09 mark of the third quarter. Stephon Castle would pick up his fourth foul of the game, a charge drawn by Jalen Brunson, forcing the Spurs’ rookie to take a seat. Head coach Mitch Johnson elected to sub in Keldon Johnson for Castle, leaving Fox as the primary ball handler on the court.
After a Karl-Anthony Towns turnover, Victor Wembanyama was whistled for what eventually became a flagrant foul. Wembanyama’s confidence was clearly shaken after that, given the chance of a looming suspension if he picked up another.
Without Castle’s calming presence on the floor and ability to get to the rim, the Spurs became reliant on Wembanyama to create. With him being rattled in the wake of the flagrant foul that the home crowd was desperate for, it allowed the fans back into the game to make an impact of their own.
San Antonio became the gambler that chases losses. Having already dug a hole, the Spurs fell in love with 3-point shooting, hoping to recapture that first half magic. They made just 3-of-17 looks from beyond the arc in the second half after sinking 14 of 26 in the first half.
Instead of relying on getting to the rim, the Spurs seemingly took their foot off the gas and allowed the Knicks to chip away – a move that might’ve cost them a championship.
Patriots-Falcons turning point
The Falcons, just like the Spurs, lacked the situational awareness that the moment required. Up 28-3 in the third quarter, Atlanta no longer needed to flex its muscle with a high-powered passing attack. Instead it should’ve become a game of possession and possessions, given that New England needed time and the ball in order to steal a victory.
The Falcons were more than happy enough to oblige. Atlanta possessed the ball three times in the fourth quarter going up 25. Dan Quinn’s team failed to run more than 2:26 off the clock on all three.
However, the biggest turning point came with 9:44 left in the third quarter. Having just allowed a field goal to make the score 28-12, the Falcons had a chance to run precious time off the clock. A pair of runs from Tevin Coleman set up a third-and-1.
Conventional wisdom would suggest to run it again, taking 40 seconds off the clock at the very least. If Atlanta picked up the first down, it keeps the drive going and likely puts the game out of reach. Instead, Matt Ryan dropped back to pass and was sacked by Dont’a Hightower. Adding insult to injury, the quarterback fumbled and the Patriots recovered at the Atlanta 25-yard-line, giving them the short field they needed.
Just over two minutes later, the damage was done and it was a one-possession game with all the momentum on the New England sideline. After tying it up to send the Super Bowl to overtime, the Patriots got the opening kickoff and everyone in the world knew they were marching down the field for the game-winning touchdown.
Which comeback was more impressive?
The NBA might’ve switched the characters, swapping in Mitch Johnson, Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson for Dan Quinn, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady, but the stories are quite similar. Both the Falcons and Spurs played dominant in the first half at a level that was unsustainable.
A second half regression to the mean was inevitable, but both sides took their foot off the gas thinking they could coast to the finish. In some ways, the Falcons and Spurs looked like teams that thought the opponent was simply going to quit and give up – something that the Patriots and Knicks don’t have in their DNA.
“It ain’t over till it’s over,” as New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra would say.
If you’re really trying to measure one comeback against the other, however, the Patriots are worthy of getting the edge. They had no margin for error in the Super Bowl, meaning there was no chance for revenge with a loss. They either win the Super Bowl or they don’t – there was no tomorrow, just next season.
Even if the Knicks lost Game 4, they would be tied 2-2 in the series with at least two more games to play. Point is, the Knicks’ comeback is just a chapter in this NBA Finals. It could be the chapter, but that means they would have to fend off a more impressive comeback by the Spurs if they overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
That is the fundamental difference between the two comebacks and that’s without accounting for the clock component. New England had to limit Atlanta to short possessions, which isn’t always possible if the opposition handles the clock properly.
Massive shifts happen more frequently in basketball, simply due to the nature of the back-and-forth action, creating scoring runs that quickly cut into large deficits. With free throws stopping the clock, the Knicks’ comeback is one that could be replicated more often – something that was evidenced by their Game 1 effort against Cleveland one round ago.
Debate history if you want, but no one is taking anything away from two historic nights in sports. After all, there’s plenty of room for both.
So move over, 28-3. 29-point lead would like to take a seat.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Comparing Knicks NBA Finals comeback to Patriots’ 28-3 in Super Bowl
