For the next month before the 2026 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at No. 22. Next up in this series is Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz.

If you watched any college basketball the last couple years, you probably know the name Bennett Stirtz. Iowa coach Ben McCollum is one of the rising names in college coaching and Stirtz played for McCollum at each of his previous two jobs before Iowa. It started at a Division II school, Northwest Missouri State. Stirtz was then the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in his lone season at Drake in 2024-25 and a First-Team All-Big 10 selection with the Hawkeyes. So with just one season of high-major Division I basketball under his belt, what makes Stirtz a first-round pick?

Profile

2025-26 Stats: 37 games, 37.7 minutes, 19.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 47.7% FG, 35.8% 3P, 84.8% FT

Team: Iowa Hawkeyes

Year: Senior

Position: PG

Height & Weight: 6’4” | 190 lbs

Born: October 3, 2003 (23 years old at start of 2026-27 season)

Hometown: Liberty, Missouri

Strengths

The most obvious strength that stood out for Stirtz in a positive way in college was his outside shot. He doesn’t need much time to let it fly from beyond the arc, he’s got deep range and his form looks pretty smooth. For a player projected to go in the back half of the first round, you would expect Stirtz to at least begin his NBA career off the bench and his shooting ability gives him a nice floor as a rookie that can play anywhere from 10-to-20 minutes per night and knock down some shots.

However, Stirtz is more than just a spot-up shooter. He’s pretty effective in the pick-and-roll offensively both as a scorer getting to the basket and as a playmaker finding his teammates in the paint. It’s this combination of skills from the outside in that could make him a pretty effective offensive player at the next level. If he were to receive a lot of ball screens far away from the basket, defenses would have to respect the fact that he’s a more than capable outside shooter and honor his ability to make deep threes. But paying too much respect to his shot could allow Stirtz some room to maneuver past defenders on the perimeter and get inside where he’d be both an effective finisher and passer. He also shot free throws very well in the Big 10 last season. In general, he’s a very good decision maker which again makes him a threat in the pick-and-roll game.

Weaknesses

Despite his high basketball IQ and shooting ability, Stirtz is not an elite athlete. Inherently, this could lower his offensive ceiling in the NBA as he may not be able to get to the right spots in halfcourt sets if he’s being guarded by someone that’s quicker and more athletic. McCollum’s teams were known for their slow pace too and so don’t expect Stirtz to thrive in transition either. Plus, at just 190 pounds, scoring in the paint could certainly be more complicated for the soon-to-be 23-year-old guard. His ability to create off the dribble against better athletes might make or break his NBA career.

Naturally, when you’re not a great athlete, there are going to be concerns about your defensive upside. It’s one thing to be able to get by offensively with a good feel for the game and smart timing instincts. But those things are harder to rely on when you’re guarding someone that’s probably just faster than you or would more easily be able to take you to the basket and finish above you and get more vertical. This is also where Stirtz’s age might hurt him in the draft as there are going to be concerns about if there’s anything left as far as physical development for someone that turns 23 before the season starts.

Positional Fit

It’s hard to argue for Stirtz anywhere other than point guard in the NBA. If he was a better athlete or an inch or two taller, perhaps there would an argument for him as an effective combo guard. But his skillset is best utilized as a point guard who is playing mostly on the ball offensively. Granted, his shooting is good enough to potentially use him in some smaller lineups as a shooting guard. But in those lineups, don’t expect Stirtz to do much offensively other than catch and shoot. The best fit for Stirtz is a team that needs both shooting and playmaking offensively, and has a couple of good athletic wing defenders to play with Stirtz on the other end of the floor.

Draft Projection

SB Nation Mock Draft: No. 19, Toronto Raptors

In this mock, Stirtz lands in the Atlantic Division, but plays north of the border with the Toronto Raptors who select him at 19^th overall. It looks like his projection is right around Philly’s 22^nd overall pick in the first round. If you’re not interested in re-signing Quentin Grimes, then suddenly Stirtz becomes an intriguing option for the Sixers. Wouldn’t that be something after one of the reasons for trading Jared McCain was that Philly had too many guards?

As a backup to Tyrese Maxey, Stirtz could make some sense for the Sixers. He could spell Maxey ,who always plays a ton of minutes, and give Philly some much-needed scoring punch off the bench. But if you’re looking for someone like Maxey who was drafted outside of the lottery, started on the bench, and became an impact starter later in his rookie contract, Stirtz might not be your guy. There’s simply no world in which lineups of Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Stirtz would ever make sense.

Consider Stirtz more of a floor option than a ceiling option for the Sixers in this month’s first round. He could come in and be a useful seventh or eighth man in a playoff rotation come next spring and there’s no denying Philly needs those kinds of players. But if you’re looking for someone that has a mix of a high enough floor to play early and upside to grow into a much bigger role with the team, you should probably look elsewhere.

Taylor Swift’s Knicks fandom was a topic of conversation at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night in New York.

While on the red carpet, Evan Lamberg, President of Universal Music Publishing, was heard thanking Swift for her loud support of the Knicks the night before — when the superstar and singing sisters, Este and Alana Haim, were unofficial Knicks cheerleaders on Celebrity Row during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

“Thank you for our Knicks good luck, think you won the game for them,” Lamberg said after the Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history in a 107-106 win over the Spurs.

“Oh my gosh, you know what I did what I can, just gotta keep the energy up. Never a doubt!” Swift said with sarcasm before she let out a big laugh.

Swift made history as the youngest-ever woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at age 36 during the ceremony, which took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Her fiancé, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was there, as well as their respective mothers, Andrea Swift and Donna Kelce.

The night before, Swift was just a few blocks down at Madison Square Garden cheering for the Knicks and wearing matching blue and orange t-shirts with “Law & Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay.

Swift’s fandom has been a hot button topic after she and the Haim sisters nearly stole the spotlight on Celebrity Row.

The 14-time Grammy winner was heard telling someone that she was going to bring the energy in a video taken of her and the Haim sisters walking into MSG.

Swift and Kelce reportedly paid an estimated $3 million to rent out the world’s most famous arena for their July 3 wedding.

The Knicks could close out the series in Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday to win their first championship in 53 years.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mavericks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Vote! Community answer up on Monday.

These playoffs have been the ultimate back-and-forth for the young Spurs. When they win, experience doesn’t matter, and talent and comradery trumps all. When they lose, all the conversations about inexperience start up again. By now, it may finally be impossible to ignore, as the list of their failures to execute in the clutch in the Finals has them on the brink of elimination, that their position has been entirely self inflicted. The silver lining is that there are lessons to take from this situation that will help everyone involved with the team to be more prepared in the future.

I continue discussing the wild ebbs and flows of this series with Russell Richardson of Posting and Toasting in this series of Fraternizing with the Enemy conversations in which a ln unlikely friendship has grown so fast and firm that it will certainly endure beyond however these Finals conclude. If you missed them, go back and check out parts parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

J.R. 

My friend, I think I can call you my friend. We’ve spoken on the phone. We’ve exchanged self deprecating remarks. We’ve laughed at each other‘s expense. Yeah, although our friendship isn’t as long as others I have, I think it’s safe to call you my friend. I just hope I can keep you as a friend.

I’m not changing the stakes of this. I hope I’m not changing anything at all. But I am going to admit one of the basic assumptions of our friendship, and more largely an assumption that lies under every Fraternizing with the Enemy post and series I’ve ever done: this can’t end well for both of us.

I’ve gone on record to say that the Game 4 loss will be good for the team in the long run. It might even be great. I’d rather that they lose playing stupid & learn to play smart over time, than to develop the long-term bad habits that come from expecting your talent to bail you out. Rule number one for sports with a clock: when you’re up big, the clock is your primary enemy, not the opponent. Under those circumstances, slow it down, work the ball inside, get twos & FTs. Win. When you’re in the bonus, all of that goes double. 

I mean, the team kept on shooting threes early in the clock. Sometimes they even avoided driving an open lane just because a three-pointer was open. As I was saying over and over to the point that I’m sure my parents (who I watched the game with as my family is still in Colorado) were tired of hearing me say “slow it down and work the ball inside,” and the team steadfastly refused to do that.

If no one on the team knows this or can get it across to the rest of the team, then suffering the embarrassment of giving up the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history would be worth it, as long as everyone learns from it. I hated the outcome of this game, and hopefully the team hates it enough to extract every bit of improvement they can from it. 

All that said, I need to quote a friend of mine who is fond of saying, “The Spurs have yet to lose a lost game this postseason in which they haven’t shot themselves in the foot.” I believe that the above is true, and I also think that since this amazingly talented, phenomenally confident, outrageously resilient team has spent all season doing things that no team has ever done before while setting all kinds of records, they could still come back from trailing 3-1. That’s as ridiculous as it is scary, but I think it’s completely true.

And that is why I started this section the way that I did … because if that happens, I had to make sure that we’re both prepared for it so that we can remain friends.

And now it’s time for me to talk about how amazingly awesome that game was. I have no attachment to the city of New York or its residents, but when the comeback was happening, I had the strangest thing happen to me. I found that I was actually happy for the people celebrating at the potential demise of my team. Not the celebs or anything outrageous like that, but the wide shots of the arena all cheering and celebrating at the unhinged and bizarre event that was unfolding in front of them and in which they were participating — I felt good for them. 

It was so surreal to have that level of empathy in a moment like that. I’m not saying I had an out of body experience and I’m definitely not going to claim enlightenment. It wasn’t anything that felt particularly spiritual or benevolent or unnerving. I just was able to be happy for people being happy that I didn’t and don’t care about at all. It was so strange and yet I definitely recommend it. It’s the kind of thing that takes the edge off losing, for sure.

R.R.

Of the many surprises this postseason, two were the biggest. One was to discover that the Knicks are the team of destiny, chosen by the universe to finally win a championship, hallelujah, amen. The other was to strike up such a rich and enjoyable friendship with an SBNation colleague who, until these Finals, I knew by name only. Thank you again for initiating this incredibly rewarding collaboration. I expect our friendship will extend far past the Knicks’ victory in Game Five.

And if the improbable occurs and your Spurs win three straight, our friendship will stand—but given that I will surely be comatose, you might find it unfulfilling and one-sided.

Now for the game. Whattagame. There have been numerous times this postseason when I have stumbled to bed, disbelieving what I’d seen and convinced that this—THIS—was the greatest game ever played. But then the Knicks do it again.

It had an inauspicious start. Mike Brown’s gameplan for tonight was going to feature Karl Anthony Towns. Mitch Johnson knew it, which is why Fox went right at him on the opening possession. The refs called a questionable brush-by foul, which clearly benefited your side. Then on the other end, they overturned a Wembanyama foul that could go either way because of mutual hooking. It went against Towns, which seemed wrapped in an NBA bow. The card attached read, “Let’s see what New York does with KAT’s hands tied behind his back and his big butt on the bench. Bwa-ha-ha! Love, Adam”.

Meanwhile, someone Manchurian Candidate-d the Knicks in the first half. There were reports of a shadowy figure in a trenchcoat who blew a whistle on the concourse. After that, the whole team turned into zombies.

So the Knicks were not playing with their usual physicality because they expected a whistle. Making matters worse (or better, depending on your rooting interest) was San Antonio’s historic first-half shooting.

With the fouls piling up, Mike Brown had to go deep into his bench. How excited were you to see yer old pal Jeremy Sochan take the floor? Having watched a little of Sochan’s game, I suspect you were salivating.

On the subject of benches: yours scored 28 points. Brown employed seven reserves and they contributed 12 points. Worse (or better, depending on your rooting interest), Hart and Bridges combined for 13 points on 13 shots in 61 minutes. That means the Knicks offense basically was composed of Brunson, Anunoby, and a smattering of Towns. And still…an epic turnaround…how??

Everyone knows that the only way to break a Manchurian Candidate trance is to evoke the powers of the Wu-Tang Clan. Lucky for us, they were booked as the halftime entertainment! Thus explains the historic comeback that undid the historic first-half shooting. All credit belongs with the Wu.

Btw, to hold the Spurs to 14 points in the third quarter was impressive. To then limit them to 16 in the fourth? Astounding.

Someone in your Game Thread (I was lurking!) wrote, “Brunson is going to win the MVP, but OG has been the Knicks’ best player.” That is one hundred percent accurate. OG has been the most consistent player all postseason, full stop. His defense tonight was incredible, and his block on Fox not only kept two critical points off the board, it set up the final possession—where he scored the two winning points. I’ve had an Anunoby jersey in the shopping cart all season long. It’s time for me to checkout.

The Knicks executed their last scoring play to perfection. OG inbounded the ball and took off running—it helped that no one guarded him, so he had an unencumbered runway. Meanwhile, Brunson knew that OG was coming in case of a miss and the timing was critical. Shoot too early and OG would not arrive in time; wait too long, and there might be nothing left on the clock for the tip-in. Oh, and he had to release high enough to clear Wemby’s reach. I’d estimate the likelihood of that play working successfully at 10%, or 1-in-10 times. Which was still more probable than a 29-point turnaround!

My wife, newly interested in the sport, said, “This must be so painful for the creepy bald man.” (She meant Thibs.) She’s right, I’ll bet Tom took this one hard. He was supposed to be on the sideline in the Finals, not that smiley Mike Brown. Grumbling to himself, Tom stops the recording on the VCR and rewinds it. He will re-watch from the beginning with a fresh notebook, keeping track of all Mitch Johnson’s mistakes.

There were a number of gaffes for Thibs to tally. You mentioned a few of them (quick trigger, forsaking the easy buckets, etc.). The Spurs were so far ahead, they could have just committed shot-clock violations throughout the second half to kill time and still would have secured the win. Where do you place the most blame for this collapse? Mitch? Or the players who kept chucking? 

J.R.

When it’s time for a post event analysis on a simple disaster (you know, like the Titanic or the Hindenburg), you might be able to place a percentage of blame with a number of the participants in place. But when you’re talking about something like a 29 point lead that evaporates in a game as big as finals Game 4, there’s no such thing as more or less blame. Everyone gets all of it. Which is nice, because they can share. And as everyone knows, sharing is caring.

The thing is, there was something like 17 different individual, group, and systemic failures that happened in order for the Spurs to blow that lead, and if any of those failures doesn’t happen then the Spurs win. Parceling out blame when there are so many key moments that were butter-fingered is a Sisyphisean task. There’s no end to it.

If everyone gets the blame, then everyone improves 1%, and then hopefully it never happens again. For me there is enough even if the team doesn’t come back to win it all this year. For others, I know that talk rubs them the wrong way.

Some people hear this kind of talk and equate it with a lack of caring, and here’s my response to that. I don’t get to choose whether San Antonio wins or loses, I only get to decide how I’m going to respond to it. 

That choice is mine and I choose to believe that the Spurs can (like Wemby said he would after G2) take this on the chin, dust themselves off, and learn from it to go on to greatness. I’m not saying that they must lose this series in order to learn how to play with a modicum of humility and a dose of BBIQ, because teams have come back from 3-1 and this Spurs team could make the necessary changes and take it this year. I’m saying that IF they don’t I will see it as a good thing for them even if there’s no guarantee that they ever make it back. 

My point is that my choosing to think that there can be a positive to their losing doesn’t mean I’ll assume that they will make it back, nor does it mean that I WANT them to lose. It simply means that I’m continuing to believe in this core truth: one of the best human traits is to find the good amidst the bad and use a negative event as fuel to power eventual triumph. That’s the story I want to tell myself and others, and I refuse to abandon myself again to wallowing in the pain of loss instead of lifting my head up and expecting better things going forward. I’ve lived the other way and I won’t do it any more. It was miserable. 

Being down 3-1 isn’t insurmountable, but if it turns out to be too much for this team this year, then I choose to view it as an opportunity and not a hopeless thing. Because this team isn’t behind in this series because they’re not good enough to win. They’re down after four games and on the brink of elimination because they haven’t valued every possession; because they weren’t willing to avoid the easy three and drive; because they haven’t harnessed their immense talent and worked the problem in front of them step by step before celebrating and taunting and reveling in their opponent’s certain defeat; because they’ve yet to learn that some teams don’t have any give-up in them and will come back to beat you if given the chance. 

R.R.

We see it similarly: everyone shares responsibility for the loss. Recency bias tends to cast the last mistakes in the worst light, and Fox has caught flak for not running out the clock. But Wemby missed 16 shots and three free throws. Champagnie shot only three times in the second half, and Castle shot once. Vassell was a team-worst -28 plus-minus after intermission. The team committed two turnovers before halftime and nine after. Mitch Johnson mismanaged the game and could have done more to slow the opponent’s momentum.

The Fox layup attempt will live forever because of the timing, but it capped a disastrous stretch of execution. The play distilled San Antonio’s biggest problem in this series, which is trying to win spectacularly when simple game management would have been enough. Sometimes boring is best, boys. (I hope that’s true; it’s one of my defining characteristics.)

Where we differ is that I (unashamedly biased) give more credit to New York. At halftime, Brown didn’t show them any video clips, but chose to let the players discuss the situation among themselves. They decided to try for singles rather than home runs, and Alvarado was a cheerleader, encouraging them to build momentum that could carry over to Game Five.

While the Knicks bunted to get on base, San Antonio scored just 14 points in the third quarter, settled for jumpers, stopped getting into the paint, and never adjusted when OG Anunoby took on the Fox assignment.

Brunson led the comeback, finishing with 36 points and seven assists. He and Anunoby repeatedly delivered big baskets as the Knicks erased a 15-point deficit in the final period. Mike Brown deserves credit, too, for leaning on Alvarado and switching Anunoby onto Fox.

Alvarado was quietly huge. The Knicks needed a second ball handler to take pressure off Brunson, and Deuce McBride has been a dud in the playoffs. Alvarado filled that need, made a couple of big shots, and brought relentless defensive intensity, using all five of his fouls. They wouldn’t have come back without him.

This has become the Knicks’ identity. It was their second massive comeback of the postseason after rallying from 22 down against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. They have repeatedly taken on a putrid stench of death and somehow risen like Lazarus.

As for the recurring theme of San Antonio building big leads and failing to protect them—with maturity, they will learn to stop doing that.

Take it from a long-suffering Knicks fan: the productive response is collective accountability and improvement. If everyone learns from the failure, the loss can have value regardless of the season’s outcome. It’s 100% true: fans cannot control wins and losses; they can only control how they interpret and respond to them. Finding meaning and growth in defeat is more healing than picking at a scab.

It’s time for my prediction, I suppose. Given that the Knicks already won twice at Frost Bank Center and have the wind at their back from Wednesday’s win, it’s a wrap. The basketball fan in me would love a competitive game, and maybe even a sixth contest before the season concludes. As a Knicks fan, my heart can’t handle any more stress. Saturday night, the Knicks win, they end the 53-year drought, and I still get to jam with Wilco on Tuesday. What say you?

to be continued …

The Washington Wizards have won just one NBA title, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lacked elite prospects.

Before winning the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, Washington had made four No. 1 picks since 1960. With another talented prospect soon arriving in D.C., let’s look at where AJ Dybantsa — the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft — would slot in among the best prospects in Wizards history.

But first, a few things before we get into this ranking.

This list contains the best prospects in Washington’s franchise history, which extends beyond those who wore “Wizards” across their jersey.

The rankings have nothing to do with a player’s NBA production and everything to do with a player’s college/high school production and pre-draft evaluation.

Tier 1: The top-3 — in no particular order

Wes Unseld

As a junior at Louisville, Unseld was named a First-Team All-American after averaging 23.0 points and 18.3 rebounds on 61.3% FG. In fact, Unseld averaged 18+ points and 18+ rebounds during all three of his collegiate campaigns.

Washington selected Unseld with the No. 2 pick in the 1968 NBA Draft — one spot behind Elvin Hayes, who later won an NBA championship with Unseld as members of the Washington Bullets.

John Wall

It’s hard to compare eras, which made this ranking tough. With that said, John Wall’s combination of speed, finishing ability and athleticism at Kentucky was otherworldly — and that’s not hyperbole.

Wall entered his freshman season as the No. 2 prospect in his high school class and quickly overtook Derrick Favors for the top spot. The future All-Star averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 assists per game and earned First-Team All-American honors as a freshman.

Wall blew past defenders in the open court and got to his spots in the halfcourt. He was simply too skilled and too fast for the college game. Kentucky went 35-3 that season, and the Wizards selected Wall with the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. I’d say that pick turned out pretty well for Washington.

Walt Bellamy

Bellamy’s collegiate stats rivaled Unseld’s in points and rebounds, but the Louisville product scored more efficiently (61.3%) than his frontcourt predecessor (50.1%).

The 6-foot-11 center averaged 21.8 points and 17.8 rebounds during his senior season at Indiana before the Chicago Packers selected him No. 1 in 1961. Bellamy’s rare combination of size, skill and touch around the rim made him the clear top prospect in his class.

Tier 2: Incredible talents

Earl Monroe

Earl Monroe, Washington’s No. 2 pick in 1967, averaged an incredible 41.5 points per game as a senior at Winston-Salem State. The 6-foot-3 guard was an unstoppable scoring force that year as he led the Rams to a Division II national championship.

The main separator between Monroe and the aforementioned top three is that he played at the Division II level, while the others dominated Division I. While there was a clear difference in competition, Monroe still averaged over 40 points a game — an impressive feat at any level of hoops that slots him just below the first tier of Wizards prospects.

AJ Dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa hasn’t been selected by Washington just yet, but according to FanDuel Sportsbook, he’s a -475 favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.

Dybantsa’s size, athleticism and scoring ability have made him the best prospect on most draft boards. His 25.5 points per game led Division I, and his incredible vertical (42-inch maximum vertical at the NBA Combine) was on display in several highlight-reel dunks.

At 6-foot-10 in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan and untapped scoring potential, the 19-year-old forward possesses an All-NBA ceiling. Some draft experts, like CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, believe Dybantsa could lead the NBA in scoring one day.

Dybantsa doesn’t possess the interior scoring game or incredible rebounding skill that Unseld and Bellamy did. And unlike Wall and Bellamy, the BYU product isn’t considered the consensus best player in his draft class.

But Dybantsa’s collegiate scoring production and high ceiling would still place him among Washington’s top-five all-time prospects, which includes three Hall-of-Famers — Bellamy, Unseld and Monroe — and a five-time All-Star in Wall who leads the franchise in assists (5,282) and steals (976).

Offensive rebounding has long been the Knicks' calling card. Even as the team’s offense shape-shifted from stylistically rugged to one that hummed with passing and shooting, the offensive boards remained a focal point of New York’s success.

On the biggest stage, a carom on the offensive end made for one of the top plays in franchise history. OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left led the Knicks to a 107-106 win against the Spurs in Game 4. New York trailed by as many as 29 points, making the game the largest comeback win in Finals history and the second 20-plus Finals comeback ever.

Now, just one game stands in the way of the Knicks winning the third championship in the team’s history and the first since 1973. 

Here’s three keys to the Knicks potentially making history in Game 5...

Difference-maker

There’s a clear argument for Anunoby being New York’s best player in not only this series, but the entire playoff run. He’s been that good. In four games, Anunoby is averaging 23.5 points on 58 percent from the field, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.

Now, you can add the tip-in and the block of Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox in the closing moments of Game 4 to the resume for Anunoby. 

Everything is working for Anunoby, but the corners are where the Knicks’ two-way wing is thriving. He’s shooting 53.3 percent on corner three-point shots during the playoffs, per NBA Stats, and he’s converting 63.2 percent of those shots during the Finals. 

On the other end, the game changed when Anunoby was switched on to Fox. He disrupted Fox, forcing the All-Star guard into turnovers and difficult shots. It was a career-defining moment, and it will be interesting to see if Anunoby can continue this stellar play in Game 5.

Comeback kids

This series has played out with a familiar theme in all four games. The Spurs have jumped out to double digit leads in the first quarter. But somehow, some way, the Knicks have won three of those contests. 

And we’ve seen this story before. 

New York came back from a 22-point fourth quarter deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In last year’s playoff run, the Knicks had two huge comebacks from 20-point deficits against the Boston Celtics in the second round.

It’s hard to analyze why this team is so good at facing sizable deficits. But it does speak to the team’s leadership. Captain Jalen Brunson’s even-keeled personality is a calming influence. 

It also helps that the Knicks can often go to Brunson in the late stages of games, and he can create a good look for himself or his teammates more often than not.

It would be nice to see the Knicks actually take a lead in the first quarter, but going into Saturday night’s game, it’s easy to feel confident in the Knicks regardless of the scenario.

Extra ball-handler

The Spurs have thrown the kitchen sink at Brunson, applying full court pressure on the Knicks’ star, and occasionally bringing two to the ball. 

With New York’s lack of ball handlers on the roster, one adjustment to make was creating more time for Jose Alvarado to play with Brunson in a two point guard alignment.

Alvarado closed the game. And the move worked to perfection. The point guard was a plus-11 on Wednesday night, recording eight points (all in the fourth quarter) and three assists in 16 minutes. 

Alvarado was a pressure release valve for Brunson. 

When the Knicks’ captain was trapped, Alvarado could catch and drive to the paint. He created an open corner three for Anunoby, faked a pass into a nifty finish around the basket, and nailed an important three-pointer while on the floor with Brunson.

The two point guards had never before shared the court during the postseason. But there were some signs the pairing could work. Alvarado and Brunson were a plus-15.8 points per 100 possessions in 114 minutes together during the regular season.

Heading into Game 5, Brunson and Alvarado playing together should be something the Knicks go to again.

There’s a chance we are a little over 24 hours from the biggest celebration in Knicks history.

There’s no chance you miss it.

Here’s everything we missed coming off the historic Game 4 victory as the Knicks get back to practice ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Mike Brown

On Jose Alvarado’s Game 4 outing:

“I know a lot of you guys can’t because you’re in the media, and you’ve got to be neutral, but I’m going to [expletive] clap for Jose. Sorry, Mom. Jose was unbelievable tonight.”

On why he inserted Alvarado in the fourth quarter:

“Jose has been good in the pick-and-roll. And if Jalen [Brunson] wanted to get off the ball for a few possessions, Jose could handle it, and he could touch the paint and make the game easier for others. If Jalen was on the ball and the ball got sprayed and it found Jose, Jose can then touch the paint with his speed. So that’s all I was trying to do is see if we can touch the paint a little bit more with the two guards out there while the floor was spaced the right way. See if we can get some easy looks, especially from the three-point line, while trying to play faster.”

On luck and making your own breaks:

“The reality is that not just in basketball, not just in sports, but life, too, and I think you all can attest to this, you have to have a little luck. But you also can go make your own luck, too. That’s probably the biggest message. You got to get a little lucky in sports, but let’s do what we do so you can make some of that luck happen.”

On James Dolan’s pregame prediction:

“You know, he owns the team. He can say whatever he wants to say. Maybe he feels something, I don’t know. But I’m 100 percent OK with him saying whatever he feels like he needs to say.”

Jose Alvarado

On holding tears after the Game 4 comeback:

“You said it, two kids from here, right. I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I was about to cry, not because — obviously there is one more [game to win], but I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special. I was just — I was just excited. It’s really something I couldn’t put in words. And like I said, we could get excited and enjoy this, but we got one more to do.”

On being part of the Knicks’ journey:

“It’s crazy, 2026 Finals [wallpaper] behind me. Just to be part of the journey is amazing. I appreciate, you know, coach and everybody giving me my flowers, but this is what I worked hard for, to be in moments like this and shine with it. So I’m glad it went our way today, and I’ll definitely remember this for the rest of my life. But you know, next game, this is the next game, man. We’ve got to worry about when we play over there.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On OG Anunoby:

“Every time we’re in the game with OG, third quarter, second quarter, he may not be feeling like he’s playing his best. Every time I talk to him, I say, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter, and he did exactly what I thought he would do. He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you could ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA.”

On OG’s game-winner:

“What it is they call Messi – Hand of God? That was the hand of God. I think I’m going to get that hand bronzed.”

On his emotions after the Game 4 win:

“I think for me, you could see my reaction, the emotion, it kind of spilled out of that moment. It was tears of joy, you know. Just it wasn’t boo-hoo or anything, just tears of joy, because like I say, all you can do is ask for a chance. And for me personally, I just wanted one break in life. And I got one. I got one at that last play with OG making the shot and us getting the stop. I just wanted one break in life, just one thing to go my way, one time, and I’m glad it did. I’m glad it did for us, man. God is good, man.”

On Jose Alvarado:

“It’s tough for me to be a Dominican talking about a Puerto Rican like this, but man, when you talk about somebody who not only lives up to the moment but plays with his emotion and utilizes that to his advantage, that’s a rare quality. You know, a lot of times, you play with a lot of people and they play with emotion, but it gets the better of them. For Jose, that emotion is what drives him and makes him take it to another level. He’s a special player . . . He has so much to his basketball game that people don’t give credit to, and I’m glad on this stage on a night like this, he was able to show the world what he can do when he’s given a chance.”

On the halftime vibes after trailing by 29:

“For us, when we got in there at halftime, we understood we were disappointed with the performance we had in the first half. That’s, of course, the result of walking in. But I’ve always talked about the unity and the connectivity of this team. Went in there, people spoke up. Jose (Alvarado), just saying, regardless how the result of the game comes out, we can’t at least not work on our standards and be who we are.”

On his feelings after the comeback win:

“You could see my reaction, the emotion, it kind of spilled out of that moment. It was tears of joy… all you can do is ask for a chance. And for me personally, I just wanted one break in life. And I got one. I got one at that last play with OG making the shot and us getting the stop.”

Jalen Brunson

On OG Anunoby:

“OG is someone who brings it every night. His work ethic, since the moment I’ve been teammates with him and seen him, has grown. His confidence has grown just because of his work ethic. Everything that I’ve seen, he’s gotten exponentially better at. So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room.”

On the Knicks’ halftime talk in Game 4:

“There really wasn’t much to be said at that point. Just, ‘We need to chip away, hit singles.’”

Miles McBride

On the Knicks’ knack for improbable wins:

“I wish I knew.”

On why and how the Knicks keep doing it:

“Because then I’d stop it and we’d get good solid wins. At the end of the day, a win is a win. We got to take it.”

Josh Hart

On OG Anunoby’s Finals impact:

“OG, he’s been amazing since he’s got here. This whole playoff run, he’s been amazing on both ends of the ball. He’s a winning player and he made a winning play.”

On the Knicks’ mindset during the comeback:

“You don’t look at when you’re down 29 — we’ve got to win this game. You look at it when you’re down 29 of ‘OK, let’s get it to 20.’ There’s three minutes left in the third quarter. We’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘Let’s get it to 10.’ In the fourth quarter, you’re like, this is winning time. Anything can happen. And when you have a group of guys that do that — it starts with (president) Leon (Rose), (executive VP William Wesley) — and (head coach) Mike (Brown) is the same — and it just trickles down.”

On the journey to this point:

“Every game, every second, every practice of the season, it led us to this point. Now we have to go into San Antonio on Saturday and get ready for another battle. Special shoutout for OG, man, because he saved me, at least for this game, a lifetime of regret.”

Mikal Bridges

On OG Anunoby:

“Unbelievable. He’s different, man. I’m happy he’s on my team.”

On the Garden atmosphere:

“It was loud, especially when we made that run. It was unbelievable.”

Landry Shamet

On OG Anunoby:

“He does everything. He’s a virtuoso.”

On the comeback:

“I don’t think any of us have ever seen anything like that. It’s a lot to process.”

On the immediate aftermath:

“What the f—. That’s all I’ve got for you. What. The. F—?”

De’Aaron Fox

On the Spurs facing a 3-1 deficit:

“We’ve got to try to put it behind us. Get back to the things that we’ve done well in these games. … We have to figure out a way to hold the lead. We’ve been able to build double-digit leads in all four of these games, and we’ve got to figure out a way to sustain that. It obviously looks like a steep hill, but this is something that’s happened before. … We feel like we have a team that is able to come back from this, but we have to take this one game at a time.”

James Dolan

On his prediction before Game 4 and for the Finals as a whole:

“We’re going to win tonight, and we’re going to win the finals.

“If our guys come out and play the game that they know they can play and they know how to play, we will win this game, and we will win the series.”

“It’s not who we play, it’s not the referees. It’s how we play. … If we come out ready to play this game, I guarantee you we will win.”

Patrick Ewing

On the current Knicks embracing alumni:

“They make us all feel a part of it. Like we’re a part of them.”

Latrell Sprewell

On the Game 4 comeback:

“I can’t even put it into words. We were just thinking, ‘Get it close. Get it to 25, get it to 20, get it to 15, get it to 10. Put the pressure on them.’ I never thought they totally had it. I mean, once we got even or we got within four, I said, OK, we have a real shot.’”

Carmelo Anthony

On the Game 4 game-winning play:

“I was yelling at them the whole time: ‘The offensive rebound is there! The offensive rebound is there!’ Coming out of that timeout, I made eye contact with them and was yelling ‘The offensive rebound is there! Somebody go!’ I didn’t know who was going to go. But I just kept yelling, somebody go!”

Spike Lee

On why Knicks fans travel:

“Here’s another thing. These seats cost an arm and a leg. It is more affordable to drive down to Philly and come back. It’s more affordable to buy a round trip ticket to Atlanta. A round trip ticket to Cleveland. So I’m fortunate that I can afford to see it. But everybody can’t. That’s why we travel.”

Raekwon

On watching the comeback unfold:

“I was in the back. I just wanted to take a breather and just kind of evaluate in my own mind what was going on. And all I kept saying was, ‘Let’s drive. Let’s get in the paint. Defense, defense.’ And, yo. They sustained. They did what they needed to do. With a little bit of Wu energy. I think it helped a little.”

Wally Szczerbiak

On Josh Hart’s rebounding:

“He’s maybe the best rebounder ever under 6-6 that I can remember in the NBA. San Antonio was struggling to score, but San Antonio is a good offensive rebounding team, and they attacked the offensive glass. And there were some of those rebounds that kind of bounced up there, and they were 50-50 rebounds, and then you got Josh Hart coming out of the pack with ‘em. And not only does he come out of the pack, he starts the fast break, because he can handle the ball and push it up the floor.”

On Hart’s rebounding mentality:

“Anytime he gets his hands on or around the ball, he secures it immediately. So he can outfight a lot of people for it. And then I just think . . . rebounding is a mentality. You have to think ‘rebound.’”

“They pursue the ball, and they read where it’s coming off the rim. And I think that’s what Josh Hart is really good at . . . and he just has that tenacity and that gift to pursue it and get to the ball quick, quicker than others. That’s kind of what makes him so great.”

On the value of rebounding in the NBA:

“With the analytical uptick in the NBA, and in all sports in general . . . getting your hands on the ball more often than the other team, that’s like gold. That’s the most important analytical measurement, and it’s very simple: the more possessions we get, the more opportunities we get to shoot threes to make points.”

“When you can get extra possessions and offensive rebounds, that leads to, just, backbreaking extra points. The other team . . . if they don’t secure the rebound after playing good defense, and forcing you to miss, they might as well have allowed you to score on the first attempt.”

On the Knicks’ offensive rebounding mentality:

“I know the Knicks coaches, all their analytical coaches, they teach the players anytime you get an offensive rebound, that’s like finding $20 on the side of the road. And immediately turn it around and try to make this a three. Try to get the ball to the three-point line immediately.”

Speedy Claxton

On Josh Hart’s rebounding:

“Heart [not Hart] over height. I mean, that’s what it is. He’s heart over height.”

On the mindset of rebounding:

“When it comes to rebounds, it’s all about a ‘want to’ mindset. You’ve got to want the basketball. And then go get it.”

On rebounding instincts:

“Some people have it, some people don’t. If you can follow the flight of the basketball — which most people don’t — then you can kind of see where it’s gonna hit and where it’s gonna come off. And you can, if you’re quick, you can get there.”

Draymond Green

On apologizing to Jalen Brunson for not considering him a title-winning player:

“I want to tell you now because I want to tell it to your face, and then I’ll say it publicly after. But I want to apologize in one game. So I will say it now to your face: I’m sorry. Then I will say it when you go and get your ring: I apologize.”

Zach Lowe

On OG Anunoby’s Finals MVP case:

“What a playoffs for OG Anunoby. He is averaging 21 points and six rebounds. Here’s his playoff shooting splits: 58% shooting, 51% on threes, 64% on twos.”

On Anunoby’s Finals production:

“In the finals, he is averaging 24 points a game on 58% shooting and 57% on threes, and despite averaging five and a half points less than Jalen Brunson and three and change assists less than Jalen Brunson, and Jalen Brunson having big moments in Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio, I think the Finals MVP right now would be OG Anunoby with a bullet.”

Chris Webber

On the Spurs’ collapse:

“That was just probably the dumbest game, and I’d like to say most arrogant game, that’s ever been played with the stakes this high.”

On San Antonio’s shot selection:

“It just shows how you really have to have on-the-court feel and not just analytics, because I don’t think analytics would tell you to shoot the ball eight times in a row if you miss, and taking shots early in the shot clock.”

Dwyane Wade

On the unpredictability of the Finals:

“I don’t think [any] of us expected the Knicks to go on to San Antonio and win two. And then turn around and San Antonio to win one [in New York]. The unexpected, the unknown. That’s what we love about sports. We don’t know the outcome. I love that these great athletes have put everything into this. Everything into their performance, into their individuality and also, everything into [their] team.”

On the Knicks’ tendency for comebacks and their deep postseason run:

“It’s game to game, possession to possession. The Knicks have habits that’s been built over years, especially this season with this unit. Obviously, with coach [Mike] Brown and his staff coming in, you gotta leave it to the fans to look at the outcome. You guys’ job is to look at the steps that you need and the habits that you built. Make sure you continue to work those and continue to work the game. The Knicks have given themselves a chance to win every game, and if you do that for seven games, you could possibly walk away with four wins. It’s not as complicated as it is for the fans, but inside you know who you are, you know what you can do. There’s gonna be a lot of ebb and flow, and they gotta stay the course.”

Mariska Hargitay

On the Game 4 comeback:

“The game was so brutal, down 29 at the half, but I’m telling you, to watch this team fight and claw their way back — to see that look in Jalen’s eyes — there are just endless life lessons in there.”

On OG Anunoby’s game-winner:

“And then OG comes flying in, his orange and blue cape fluttering behind him, and then it’s just pandemonium.”

On the moment:

“It‘ll get replayed again and again, not just as an epic moment in basketball, but on the highlight reel of the best moments in sports. And all I could think was ‘THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!’ And ‘OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!’ And ‘OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS CITY!!!’”

Monica McNutt

On Taylor Swift attending Game 4:

“She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl.”

On not realizing Swift’s Knicks connection and appologizing afterward:

“I did not know. We just saw her in Cleveland with her fiancé ― obviously, Travis supports the Cavs ― she didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia, so I did not know of her Knicks loyalty.”

“Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said and here’s the deal, if I’m wrong, and I am wrong apparently because we’ve got an OG Amar’e Stoudemire jersey. I misspoke. I apologize.”

Michael Bloomberg

On his friendship with Jose Alvarado:

“Our second meeting went a little smoother. Huge congrats to my new friend [Alvarado] and the [Knicks] on their historic comeback. Don’t ever count NYC out. One more to go. Let’s Go Knicks!”

Larry David

On witnessing the comeback in person:

“It was hard for me to believe that I — and I would italicize the ‘I’ if I knew how — that I could witness that. I’m supposed to miss games and moments like that. That’s what I was thinking.”

John McEnroe

On the Garden crowd at Game 4:

“I’ve never felt the energy in a crowd at Madison Square [Garden]. We used to play a big tennis event there [the season-ending Masters], and nothing’s ever come close to that. No one left after an hour.”

On his exchange with Larry David during the comeback:

“We were sort of a little negative at 71-42. He was like, ‘Let’s get outta here.’ He was like, ‘Let’s get outta here.’ I go, ‘Larry, listen, over the years it hasn’t come up the way we expected [as Knicks fans].’ You know, I’ve blown a couple [of] big leads in my life….It was sort of like, ‘Here we go again, we’re gonna lose this. Something bad’s gonna happen.’”

On trying to stay optimistic:

“I said, ‘Larry, we have to get a little more positive here. If they get it down [from 29] to 25, 21, 18, it’s 15 at the end of the [third] quarter.’ This type of stuff. ‘Let’s keep it positive.’ That’s the most positive I’ve ever been at a game, and I’ve been at a lot of sporting events over the course of my 56 years of coming to Knicks games when I was 8 years old.”

Brian Windhorst

On the Spurs ruining Victor Wembanyama’s already weak core:

“Second half, he plays all but 57 seconds… I feel like he totally ran out of gas. I don’t understand why he was not getting more rest in the game. At the end of the third quarter he’d played five more minutes than he played in Game 3 and that was a one-point game this was a 15-point game. He couldn’t move defensively, that made it easier for the Knicks and offensively, he was unable to get anything. At one point he went 1 of 10. When he gets fatigued he starts flopping around.”

On Wembanyama’s dirtiness, smacking him back in the face:

“I gotta say, if you are going to talk trash and you are going to do some of the stuff that he does — which he does — you can’t let this happen at the end of the game.”

Tom Crean

On OG Anunoby before the game-winner:

“He was ready. The first thing you notice is how open he is as Jalen is going up for the move. And you felt he was going to be open because of the way San Antonio was playing the inbounds. And as Jalen goes into the move, you see OG at the top of the key — and all of a sudden, it was almost like, did the TV actually catch that he tipped it in, he was out of there so fast.”

On Anunoby’s instincts:

“He’s got such quick twitch. He’s anticipatory, he’s got excellent reaction. But he didn’t wait. He knew he was open. But he didn’t wait for a pass that didn’t come. He was gone. He knew Jalen was going to shoot it, especially when Jalen goes to the right, so OG was open, but I think even as Jalen was moving up and releasing that shot, OG was gone. I don’t think it was a lack of them blocking out as much as he was already there.”

On Anunoby’s mentality:

“When you combine the quick mind with quick feet and a quick twitch — he has such an alertness. How many players would’ve paused and hesitated because they were open and didn’t get the ball in that situation?”

On the decisive split second:

“And he didn’t have any of that. And that’s the split-second difference between him being there before everybody realizes you’re coming.”

Why Draymond doesn't blame De'Aaron Fox's attempted layup for Spurs' Game 4 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox has been under scrutiny since seemingly costing San Antonio Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals, but Warriors star Draymond Green doesn’t necessarily view it that way.

The Spurs held a narrow 1-point lead with about 15 seconds remaining when Fox deflected and then secured the ball as time wound down. Instead of dribbling the ball out to waste more time and potentially get sent to the free-throw line, Fox thought he could outrun New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby and get in an easy layup to extend San Antonio’s lead to three points. But Anunoby blocked Fox’s shot, giving the Knicks one final possession to pull off their miraculous and historic comeback victory after being down by as many as 29 points.

While many are focused on that single play by Fox, Green believes the blame should be pointed elsewhere for the Spurs’ loss, and to him, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

“Let’s dish out a little blame for the Spurs’ collapse,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.” “Let’s start with De’Aaron Fox. 6-for-16 from the field, not that important. Mindless turnovers in the clutch, definitely got to be better there. The decision to shoot the layup, that’s a bang-bang decision. Not a smart play. Very bang-bang. If he makes the layup, no one’s complaining. If he misses the layup, like he did, everyone’s like, ‘Yo, he cost them the season.’

“I think the turnovers were worse than the attempted layup. Yes, it was bad. I’m not saying it wasn’t. But that’s not what cost them the game. There were so many things down the stretch. … I’ll blame those turnovers more than I’ll blame the layup.”

Fox had a team-leading four turnovers in the crushing loss, with all four of them coming in the second half (three in the third quarter).

He was a plus-23 in the first half and a minus-22 in the second.

But Green also pointed the finger at San Antonio’s best player, Victor Wembanyama.

“Wemby. From the moment Wemby started telling Mitchell Robinson, ‘I’m in your head,’ the Knicks outscored the Spurs 87-69. Wemby scored 14 more points and was 4-for-17 from the field,” Green said. “Two big missed free throws at the end from a great free-throw shooter. Bad 3s, wasn’t rolling to the rim anymore. I think Wemby deserves a lot of blame. Not complete blame, but again, you’re up 29 points and you’re that great, you got to be able to stop the bleeding at some point, and he did not.”

Wembanyama finished with a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, but he shot just 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Finally, Green believes Spurs coach Mitch Johnson made some questionable decisions down the stretch.

“Mitch Johnson, 20-4 run before you take a timeout with a young team like that, I can’t agree with,” Green said. “Never adjusted in the second half. Rotations were not great. There were times where they had a big enough lead to give Wemby a rest, and he didn’t. He left Wemby in. And if you get him some rest in some of those spots that you could have, maybe down the stretch, he could’ve done some of those things I was just talking about. But he played and he played. I think you could have given him some rest and he could’ve been fresher down the stretch. He had nothing in the tank.

“Mitch Johnson has to be better. With his subs, his timeouts, when he takes timeouts, getting great shots out of timeouts. I think he could be a lot better. It’s his first NBA Finals; everybody goes through their growing pains. Mike Brown has been here before. There are growing pains, and it comes with the territory.”

No team is perfect, but in the NBA Finals, it’s about limiting the mistakes. And for the Spurs, there were too many costly mistakes in Game 4 to put them down and face elimination on their home floor on Saturday.

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