The Knicks have had many heroes during the first four games of the 2026 NBA Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns‘ two-way impact has been widely praised, especially in the Knicks’ back-to-back wins in San Antonio to open the series. Jalen Brunson has hit a multitude of clutch shots, despite not always having the most efficient shooting performances.
On Wednesday, OG Anunoby added his name to the list in dramatic fashion, getting a crucial block on the Spurs‘ De’Aaron Fox before getting his hands on a massive offensive rebound and tipping it in for the game-winning shot.
It was a fitting cap to the largest comeback in Finals history, Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic, showing all the things that make Anunoby, and this Knicks team, special: the hustle, the instincts, the never-say-die attitude.
“OG is someone who brings it every night,” Brunson said. “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.”
Anunoby’s contributions weren’t just limited to the last-minute heroics, though. With the Spurs taking a dominant lead in the first half, the series seemed to be slipping away from the Knicks, after they had built a 2-0 lead out of the gates. Anunoby responded, building on his 28-point Game 3 performance. He hit three after three, drove into the paint, and switched onto Fox in the second half, causing problems for the Spurs’ pick-and-roll attack.
“He does everything,” Landry Shamet said. “He’s a virtuoso.”
The performance wasn’t surprising for those who know the star of few words well. Neither was how he exploded towards the basket to get the offensive rebound. In fact, that was something he worked on throughout his time in college, according to Tom Crean, his former coach at Indiana University.
Anunoby has always been hungry to know what it will take for him to reach the next level.
“Most of the time as a coach, you’re selling a vision for them, and they may even want it, but they don’t have any idea about the reality of it,” Cream writes. “OG wanted to learn what the reality would be like if this were to happen.”
The Finals are far from over, as both teams will now travel back to San Antonio for a critical Game 5, with the Knicks leading 3-to-1. If the Knicks are able to complete their run and win the championship, though, there’s little doubt that Anunoby has made a strong case for himself to be considered in the Finals MVP discussion, Brian Mahoney writes for the Associated Press.
He might not always be heralded for his scoring, but what the Knicks have seen from him, especially in the last two games, is far from a surprise. Anunoby has been red-hot throughout the playoffs and is the team’s second-leading scorer in the postseason at 20.7 points per game, thanks, in part, to a massive hot-shooting stretch. He is shooting 57.8% from the field, 50.6% from three, and 86.7% from the free-throw line in the 16 games he’s played.
A hamstring injury derailed his momentum temporarily in the middle rounds of the playoffs, but he seems to have found his rhythm again, at the time the Knicks needed him most.
“He’s been amazing since he’s got here,” Josh Hart said. “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.”
Consideration??? If he doesn’t win it’s a travesty. He’s made every big shot when Knicks needed. Took Wemby out of the game in second half last night and that block will be part of finals lore.
MVP is for the whole series. imo, it is still up in the air. I would put OG as the favorite, but through two games, he was averaging 17.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg on 10/22 shooting. Good, but not MVP. KAT was the best player in Games 1 and 2. Brunson has also played amazing the last two games.
If I had to vote right now, I’d probably pick OG. But if he doesn’t win, it’s hardly a ‘travesty’. We will see what happens Saturday and if necessary, Games 6 and 7.
If the Finals ended yesterday, OG would win FMVP unanimously
Right, but it didn’t. Which is why it is still up in the air.