Why LeBron James to Warriors is improbable, but shouldn't be dismissed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Visualizing LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to join the Warriors requires tuning out financial implications, a hyperactive imagination and prolonged suspension of disbelief. Too many reasons why it can’t happen. Won’t happen. Shouldn’t happen.

But rumors of a potential Warriors-LeBron union won’t die, and one of the reasons it lives is that none of the principal figures is going on the record to kill it.

And some are saying off the record that it cannot be dismissed.

“I know it seems crazy,” one well-connected league source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday. “But there is at least curiosity on both sides. This wouldn’t even be a conversation five or six years ago, and it might not happen now, but there’s enough there that we shouldn’t ignore the possibility. It’s mostly up to LeBron.”

The general belief is that James likely will remain in Los Angeles, where he can continue to play alongside his son, Bronny, and stay close to his family. The Lakers can offer a considerably larger contract than Golden State, which tops out at the non-taxpayer midlevel exception of about $15 million.

Many other factors keep supplying oxygen to the speculation, from the mutual respect between Stephen Curry and James, along with Steve Kerr’s deep appreciation for smart players. There also is the proximity of the Bay Area to James’ home and business infrastructure in greater LA.

There is another factor, however, that won’t leave my mind: Attempting a feat never accomplished has a seductive appeal for alpha competitors like Steph and LeBron. No team with its top four players averaging more than 35 years of age has won the NBA Finals.

Curry and James have built legendary careers by defying realistic expectations. Steph, selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft, is the only unanimous MVP winner in league history and the engine within a once-forlorn franchise becoming a global icon. James entered the league as a teenager advertised as the next superstar and has exceeded that. He’s the all-time leader in games, minutes and points, top five in assists and top 25 in rebounding. At age 40 in 2024-25, he still was putting up MVP-like numbers.

Once bitter rivals in four consecutive NBA Finals, Curry and James have since bonded over shared greatness and as teammates on Team USA basketball. Their competitive fires continue to burn, and they still enjoy beating each other. But when elite athletes see the sun setting on their careers, they better understand they share a bigger community. Different teams, same society. Their hearts tend to find enough room for appreciation.

James went on record years ago saying he likes the idea of playing with Curry.

Curry has not fully reciprocated, not yet, but a meeting is expected, according to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Knowing Steph’s thirst for playing “meaningful basketball,” he’d listen to any move that would bolster the Warriors. 

Is that enough for Curry to gather influential teammates Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green – one of LeBron’s best friends – to make a recruiting pitch? Probably. The least that can happen is no agreement.

The most that can happen is James rocking the world by working out a deal with Golden State. Why would he even consider such a thing? Because his presence would intensify marquees in every town the Warriors visit. Because he knows it would be unique to punctuate an illustrious career. Because he likes/respects Steph and Jimmy and Draymond.

And because LeBron’s contract, whether $50 million in LA or $15 million in Bay Area, won’t be the primary force behind his decision. He’s already said as much. And it’s believable insofar as his net worth, according to the pocket-watchers at Forbes, is about $1.4 billion.

Why would Warriors CEO Joe Lacob be on board? Because he loves stars. Because he learned 10 years ago, after successfully recruiting Kevin Durant, that anything is possible if you persuasively shoot your shot. Lacob knows the value of a superstar goes beyond on-court metrics, and that every game at Chase Center would be The Event, not just in the NBA but across sports.

As captivating as it is when it’s Steph vs. LeBron, Steph and LeBron would be irresistible.

Durant was a rival until the Warriors chased and caught him. Chris Paul was a rival, and the Warriors traded for him. Perhaps the poster man for Golden State’s surprising star-level additions is DeMarcus Cousins in 2018.

But it was only a few weeks ago that Kerr said he didn’t want another roster top-heavy with guys unable to play back-to-back sets. Butler turns 37 in September and isn’t expected back until midseason. James turns 42 in December. Green turns 37 next March, 10 days before Curry turns 39. If all four are on the roster, Kerr could find a way to stagger them.

James is set to become an unrestricted free agent in month’s end. The chatter connecting him to the Warriors isn’t going anywhere until somebody on either side shuts it down.

Meanwhile, enjoy this improbably juicy morsel of summer. For however long it lasts.

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For nearly 47 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs looked poised to leave Madison Square Garden with the NBA finals level at two games apiece.

They’d led by 81-52 in the third quarter, brought a frenzied Madison Square Garden crowd to heel and put themselves on the verge of reclaiming home-court advantage after having dropped the first two games at home. Even after the Knicks mounted a furious second-half fightback and wiped out the entirety of San Antonio’s 29-point cushion, the Spurs still appeared to have one final lifeline.

Related: Knicks beat Spurs with largest NBA finals comeback to move to brink of first title since 1973

Then came a decision that could haunt San Antonio for years if the Knicks go on to end their 53-year championship drought.

The Spurs led 106-105 with less than 15 seconds remaining Wednesday night when Jalen Brunson’s floating bank shot ricocheted into the backcourt. The loose ball bounced toward De’Aaron Fox, who sprinted after it and found himself racing toward the basket with only a trailing OG Anunoby between him and what looked like a game-clinching score.

Instead of pulling the ball out and forcing New York to foul, Fox attacked the rim. But Anunoby chased him down and blocked the lay-up attempt.

Seconds later, the Knicks had the ball back. Brunson missed a 31-footer off the front of the rim, but Anunoby soared in from the top of the key and tipped home the winner with 1.2 seconds remaining, completing an improbable 107-106 victory and the largest comeback in NBA finals history.

Fox did not shy away from explaining his thought process afterward.

“You have to score. Try to get a lay-up, get up three [points]. Force them to need a three,” Fox said. “OG made a good block.”

Asked why he went for the basket rather than dribbling out the clock and forcing a foul, the ninth-year point guard was to the point.

“I just thought I’d be able to outrun them. That’s it.”

The explanation did little to quell the criticism.

On TNT’s post-game show, Charles Barkley delivered a verdict that quickly spread across social media and sports television.

“That was a dumbass play,” Barkley said. “He did not have to shoot that ball.”

The blunt assessment reflected the reaction around the basketball world. With the Spurs clinging to a one-point lead, Fox had safer options available. He could have retreated from pressure and waited to be fouled, shaving precious seconds off the clock. He could have used San Antonio’s final timeout. Instead, he chose the most aggressive path – a gamble Anunoby made him pay dearly for.

Of course, reducing the collapse to a single possession would let the Spurs off too easily. The final mistake merely capped a spectacular unraveling that had begun long before Fox found himself alone in the open floor. San Antonio scored 76 points in the first half but just 30 after half-time. The crisp ball movement and long-distance sharpshooting that had carved apart New York’s defense evaporated as the Knicks chipped away at the deficit.

“Obviously let that get away, being up [29 points],” Fox said. “Got away from doing the things that got us up and put ourselves in that position.”

“I think we played a little slower,” he added. “The ball wasn’t moving the same way that it did in the second half like it did in the first half. We didn’t get a flow on the offensive end in the second half.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson saw the same thing.

“We got away from what got us the 76 points in the first half,” Johnson said. “Then you saw at times the aggressiveness and just conviction that we played with early on dissipate a little bit. They made some shots. That’s where you felt the momentum a little bit. We just needed few more tough-minded plays to finish the job.”

He added: “To put as much good work into that first half as we did, get the lead that we had and not finish the job, is disappointing to say the least.”

Wembanyama said he was unable to see Fox’s fateful layup attempt after tumbling to the floor during the play, but he offered a curt appraisal of the Spurs’ second-half performance.

“We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half,” Wembanyama said. “Stopped moving the ball. Stopped executing.”

That reality may ultimately be what stings most for San Antonio. Fox’s layup attempt did not create the collapse. The Spurs had already let a 29-point lead fritter away by then. What the play did was quash their last chance to survive it.

“Going down 3-1 is obviously very different,” Fox said. “But we feel like we have a team to be able to come back from this.”

Two minutes earlier, the Spurs were staring at a tied series with momentum to burn and a restored clear path to a championship. One miscue later, they were left to reckon with a reality that had seemed impossible minutes earlier.

For the fourth time in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks did not start off the game well in Wednesday night’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, going down 41-22 after the first 12 minutes.

It was actually the worst first quarter, in regards to point-differential, by New York not just in the series, but during the playoffs. And after dropping Game 3 on Monday night following another disappointing opening quarter, the Knicks vowed to get off to a better start in Game 4.

What happened instead, though, was New York falling behind by as many as 29 points and going into halftime down by 27 points. A good third quarter helped things slightly, but the Knicks still found themselves trailing by 20 points with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and almost assuredly leaving New York without a win while losing the momentum of the series as well.

Of course, that didn’t happen after the Knicks pulled off the largest comeback in NBA Finals history thanks to a complete shift in execution and OG Anunoby’s tip-in game-winner with 1.2 seconds left.

While New York is up 3-1 in the series and just one win away from its first NBA championship in more than 50 years, the series, which moves back to San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5, is far from over. 

Therefore, the Knicks need to start playing like they did in the second half in the first quarter if they want to thwart any ideas of a comeback by the Spurs.

“We got a lot to learn in these next couple of days, but our mentality has to be 0-0 – the way it’s been,” Jalen Brunson said. “It has to be that way and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset could really benefit us. There’s nothing to celebrate because it’s not over yet. Not even close.”

Sure, Brunson is right. While New York hasn’t won anything just yet and the main celebration cannot commence, the team surely celebrated together following Game 4’s improbable comeback win.

But after all of that dies down and the Knicks get closer to Game 5, the goal will once again be to win at all costs.

“We can get excited and enjoy this, but we got one more to do,” Jose Alvarado said. “So that’s the main goal, the next game.”

If New York is able to enjoy a better first quarter, it will give it a better chance to come out on top. And even though it’s possible the Knicks can overcome yet another poor opening frame – let’s face it, they’ve done it three times already – it’s a dangerous way to live.

Sooner or later, New York’s luck will run out if it keeps putting itself into these tough positions. Remember Game 2 where San Antonio was one bad pass away from possibly winning the game? 

One could even make the argument that the Spurs deserve to be up 3-1, not the Knicks. Of course, the most deserving don’t always get what they want, and it’s New York who is one win away, but it goes to show just how close San Antonio is and for the Knicks to not take it lightly.

“The most important thing for me over these next 48 hours is just focusing on what I can do to win Game 5,” Brunson said.

Victor Wembanyama sat at the podium with a hood over his head. The pain was streaked on his face. He was asked to put into words what he was feeling.

It’s the kind of question that’s hard to ask athletes in moments like this.

Wembanyama had led his team to a 29-point lead over the Knicks. He was so confident after sprinting to a 21-point advantage in the first quarter that he taunted Mitchell Robinson, telling him, “I’m in your head.” The Spurs were about to tie the series at 2-2. The Larry O’Brien Trophy was within their grasp once again.

Then everything fell apart.

The Knicks refused to die. They gritted their teeth. They stormed back, completing the largest comeback in NBA Finals history with a 107-106 win.

It was wild. It was stunning. It was jaw-dropping.

After the final buzzer, the cheers in the hallway at Madison Square Garden were so loud that it was hard to hear Spurs coach Mitch Johnson address the media even though he was using a microphone. Taylor Swift, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller were among the people dancing and screaming in the impromptu celebration that resembled Mardi Gras more than a workplace.

As for Wembanyama, he knew what was coming.

The criticism was going to be brutal. There was going to be an avalanche coming from TV screens, airwaves and newsstands. As the future face of the league, everything ultimately falls on him. But nothing could compare to the demons in his own head. 

This is the type of thing that can break a player.

Or it can be his villain origin story.

“What’s going through my mind right now?” Wembanyama asked. “I think it’s going to go one of two ways. One of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”

So much went wrong for the Spurs in the fourth quarter.

They were outscored 32-16. They were outshot from the field 60% to 21.1%. They were bested from beyond the arc 60% to 20%.

As the Knicks chipped away at the third-largest halftime lead in NBA Finals history (27 points), a comeback seemed impossible. Improbable. But the crowd got louder. The Knicks inched closer. And suddenly, Madison Square Garden had transformed into the embodiment of a nightmare for the Spurs.

Fingers can be pointed in a lot of directions.

How could Wembanyama have missed two free throws with 1:47 left and the Spurs up 104-103? Jalen Brunson then made a floating jumper with 1:22 remaining to give the Knicks their first lead of the game, 105-104.

Why in the world did De’Aaron Fox attempt a layup instead of dribbling out the clock with the Spurs ahead 106-105 and 13.5 seconds left?

Then came the dagger.

How in the heck did no one box out OG Anunoby following Brunson’s missed 3-point attempt?

Anunoby came flying out of nowhere to make a tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining, delivering the Spurs a blow to their jugular.

It was brutal.

How do the Spurs recover from this?

“Holding each other accountable,” said Wembanyama, who had team highs in points (24), rebounds (13) and blocks (3). “Communicating. Not pointing fingers. And after that, we either got it or we don’t. But we’ve proven that we can surpass these difficulties. Even though we haven’t been there before, I’m convinced we’re built that way and we’re going to use the better of this. It’s going to tighten us up.”

For the Spurs, there’s a lot of string to spool after the greatest unraveling in NBA Finals history. 

Remember that turnover that haunted Wembanyama in the final seconds of Game 2, when he threw the ball off Stephon Castle’s back? Child’s play. What happened in Game 4 is the type of thing that will reverberate for years.

Maybe longer.

The Spurs had outshot the Knicks at halftime 59.6% to 40.5% from the field and 53.8% to 33.3% from beyond the arc. They were soaring. The narrative was about to become, “Will the Spurs be the first team in Finals history to recover after losing their first two games at home?”

Now it’s something else altogether. 

This was embarrassing. It was shocking. It was gut-wrenching.

As nearly 20,000 people roared with joy inside Madison Square Garden at one of the most stunning games in sports history that brought the Knicks within one win of their first championship in 53 years, a shocked 7-foot-4 superstar tried to show his resolve.

But this loss was devastating. It was a collapse of epic proportions. An undoing.

It left a wound that’s not going to scar anytime soon.

“It just hurts,” Wembanyama said. 

NBA legend Charles Barkley branded the San Antonio Spurs "the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation" after the New York Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

The Spurs led by 29 points as they aimed to level the best-of-seven series in New York before hosting game five, but the Knicks fought back to win 107-106.

London-born OG Anunoby claimed a tip-in basket with 1.2 seconds left to clinch victory, much to the delight of a star-studded crowd at Madison Square Garden, which included Taylor Swift and Timothee Chalamet.

It gave the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the series and put them within one win of their first championship since 1973.

The previous biggest comeback in the NBA Finals was 24 points, by the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.

San Antonio went 29 points up in the second quarter and their 27-point lead at half-time (76-49) was the largest for a road team in Finals history, but they then scored just 30 points in the second half.

"That was some of the most mismanaged, stupid basketball," said ESPN analyst and former NBA most valuable player Barkley.

"When you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help, and the San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game."

Victor Wembanyama scored a team-high 24 points for San Antonio and claimed 13 rebounds.

"I can't really explain it right now," said the NBA's defensive player of the year.

"I don't know. I think it's just execution, greediness of some sort. We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half."

The Knicks still trailed 90-75 heading into the fourth quarter but Jalen Brunson put them in front for the first time at 105-104 with 82 seconds remaining.

Anunoby then made a block with 11.1 seconds left, to stop the Spurs leading 108-105, before tipping in the game-clinching score after Brunson's three-point attempt struck the rim.

"One word that caps that all is just 'belief'," Brunson told ESPN. "It was chipping away, one possession at a time. It wasn't going to be one play to get us back."

Game five is in San Antonio on Saturday (01:30 BST, Sunday).

• Wembanyama stars as Spurs trim Knicks' Finals lead

The New York Knicks won Game 4 of the NBA Finals in as thrilling a fashion as you'll ever see. But some fans celebrating the team's 29-point comeback and 3-1 series lead were not on their best behavior.

Per a video posted by NBA content creator "KingCharge" who appeared to be on the scene, the Spurs were greeted by many hostile fans as they returned to their New York hotel. The most vitriol was reserved for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama − and some fans in the crowd beyond the barricades threw unidentified items in his direction.

Wembanyama turned back to look in the direction the items came from, but he was quickly ushered inside by security.

Warning: Video contains some strong language

Knicks fans throwing stuff at Wemby and the Spurs as they arrive at their hotel😬 pic.twitter.com/R2qGunsxBW

— KingCharge (@KingCharge) June 11, 2026

Wembanyama has not made any friends in New York during the Finals after shoving Knicks star Jalen Brunson in Game 3 and escaping what many believe should have been a flagrant foul. Then, he taunted the Knicks in the first half of Game 4 after Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was given a fragrant foul for a forearm to Wembanyama’s chin.

Later in Wednesday's game, Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant foul for throwing an elbow at the throat of Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. The Spurs star now has three flagrant points in the NBA playoffs. If he gets a fourth, he would be suspended.

The Knicks have the chance to win their first title since 1973 in Game 5, which is Saturday in San Antonio. This series has certainly put both Wembanyama and the actions of Knicks fans in the spotlight.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks fans throw items at Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

The entire sporting world was stunned by the New York Knicks' epic comeback against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, and the U.S. men's national team was no different.

The Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, rallying from a 29-point deficit to defeat the Spurs 107-106 in Game 4. The win gave the Knicks a 3-1 series lead, leaving them just one win from their first championship since 1973.

The game was sealed in dramatic fashion, with OG Anunoby tipping in Jalen Brunson's missed 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds to go.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jose Alvarado were on the verge of tears. Josh Hart hadn’t felt so much on-court joy since the 2016 national championship.

One by one, professional multimillionaires uttered the word “crazy,” in love with basketball like never before.

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

Madison Square Garden was dead.

The Knicks trailed 81-52 in the third quarter, en route to one of the most embarrassing and consequential losses in the history of a franchise that has patented pain, about to be two losses from all-time collapse, heading to San Antonio as the underdog again.

Slowly, the tune changed among the sellout crowd, growing louder with every basket made. Each massive eruption dwarfed the previous one, until the Garden somehow reached new heights.

When OG Anunoby’s last-second tip-in completed the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history — clinching a 107-106 win in Game 4 to put the Knicks one win from their first championship since 1973 — the Garden reached unprecedented territory.

This was Willis Reed emerging from the tunnel, colliding with Larry Johnson’s four-point play.

This was Shamet’s bounce joining forces with Patrick Ewing’s putback. From calm to chaos. From embarrassment to elation. The Amish went electric. A funeral morphed into a party.

“I felt for all of y’all who were at the game, obviously, you could feel the abundance of joy at one time from everyone at one time, the collective joy that came out of everybody for that one moment, to hear the buzzer going off and not to see the ball go in the basket, I think we all felt something, like that emotion that was special,” Towns said. “It’s something that MSG hasn’t had that kind of moment in a long time, so shoutout to our fans for real.

“I’ve seen people leave before the game was over at MSG, watching on MSG Network before. … 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.”

The tickets, which cost thousands, went from a waste to being worth every penny. Permanent hearing loss was a fair trade after more than a half-century of misery, exchanged for a moment to last a lifetime.

“On the bench when we’re slowly walking them down and you feel it shift a little bit and there’s a little bit of hope there that creeps in, it’s hard to explain, but if you were in the building, everybody felt it,” Shamet said. “This isn’t just talking about staying in the game, let’s cut the lead. It was like, ‘No, we’re here, let’s make something happen.’”

Captain Clutch refused to let the game get away. 

The Knicks were down big, nearly 30 points, but he wouldn’t let go of the proverbial rope. 

Jalen Brunson kept on making plays, kept on getting the Knicks closer, and ultimately leading them to within one win of their first championship in 53 years after this 107-106 Game 4 victory over the Spurs at the Garden on Wednesday. 

“Really wasn’t that much to be said at that point,” Brunson said when asked his mentality when the Knicks were down big. “It was really just, we need to chip away. We need to hit singles, get on base and make plays from there.” 

OG Anunoby was the hero — his tip-in of a Brunson missed 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left was the game-winner — but the Knicks aren’t in that position without Brunson.

For the first three games of the series, he was inefficient and turnover-prone.

On Wednesday, he scored 36 points, and shot 12-for-25 from the field. 

Brunson played the final 34:45, and had plenty of gas left in the tank late. He scored 17 second-half points, was pivotal in the Knicks rallying from a 29-point deficit in the second half.

He also had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. 

“Jalen, he’s an MVP candidate,” coach Mike Brown said. “I say the same thing about Jalen every game: He does what an MVP is supposed to, and he did it again tonight.” 

Fittingly, Brunson spent most of his postgame press conference talking about his teammates. When the Knicks win, it’s always about everyone else. He also wasn’t ready to celebrate anything yet. There is still one more win to go. 

“The most important thing for me over the next 48 hours is focusing on what we have to do to win Game 5,” he said after his third 30-point performance of the finals. “There’s nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet, not even close.”

On a night when The Garden was rocking louder than ever, the incredible commentary gave the unforgettable moment its soundtrack.

Mike Breen, who grew up in Yonkers dreaming of calling a Knicks NBA Finals game, along with the radio broadcast team of Tyler Murray and Monica McNutt, added themselves to New York sports lore by being better than anyone else at telling listeners that what they just saw really happened on OG Anunoby’s incredible crunch time plays

“[Jalen] Brunson gets it. Fires up a three,” Breen began, calling arguably the most important play in Knicks franchise history for ABC in a 107-106 nail-biting victory to go up 3-1 in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. “Shot no good. The tip. It’s good! It’s good! It’s good! With 1.2 remaining! The Knicks take the lead! OG Anunoby! It’s 107-106. It’s bedlam here at The Garden! They can’t believe it. Brunson’s shot looked good. It just came up short.”

Meanwhile, Murray starred on the local radio broadcast, calling the Anunoby tip-in with vim and verve for an audience listening blind.

“Anunoby is handing the ball (out of bounds). Finds Brunson at midcourt,” Murray begins. “Lanches a straight-on three, missed it short. Tip by Anunoby! He put it in! Anunoby put it in! The Knicks take the lead with 1.2 to go!”

“It’s not over,” McNutt injected.

“Anunoby out of nowhere!” Murray added.

“Wow!” McNutt said. “O.G. Anunoby. He inbounded the ball. He’s loose. Nobody came to him. That’s a great call. That’s a great play call.”

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Marc Kestecher had the call alongside Doris Burke and P.J. Carlesimo on ESPN’s national radio call.

“Knicks were down as many as 29,” Kestecher said. “Anunoby gets it into Brunson. Brunson pulls a quick three. Off the front rim, no. Tip in good for the lead with 1.2 seconds to go! O.G. Anunoby flying out of nowhere! And this place is rocking at the Garden.”

NBA commentator Charles Barkley did not hold back while providing his opinion on the San Antonio Spurs' collapse in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Barkley called the Spurs the "dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization" after they blew a 29-point lead on Wednesday, June 10.

The Spurs had the chance to even the series at 2-2, but the Knicks stole it late and now have a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

"That was some of the most mismanaged, stupid basketball," Barkley said during the “Inside the NBA” postgame show. "When you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help you. The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the stupid(est) stuff I've seen on a basketball court."

The Spurs found success early in the first half, setting an NBA Finals record with 14 made 3s (on 26 attempts).

“We saw the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization. … The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game.”

Charles Barkley after the Spurs allowed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y7t4UZsVhU

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 11, 2026

San Antonio did not have the same luck in the second half and struggled from long range. The team went 3-for-17 from deep in the second half.

The Spurs missed nine of those 3s in the third quarter, allowing the Knicks to take advantage of the missed opportunities and crawl back into the game.

“They played terrible basketball," Shaquille O'Neal said on the show. "They got comfortable with the lead and talking about going back to San Antonio and just didn't play smart."

The Knicks returned to the locker room at halftime trailing 76-49 before going on to outscore the Spurs 58-30 in the second half.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley calls Spurs 'dumbest basketball team' after collapse