Mike Francesa: ‘Sports has been my whole life, and this is exactly why’

Mike Francesa has a lifetime of being a fan and covering sports, but even he knows how special Game 4 of the NBA Finals was for New York and the Knicks.

The New York Knicks were losing to the San Antonio Spurs 41-22 after the first quarter, they were down 76-49 at halftime, and found themselves in a 29-point hole during the third quarter. Knicks fans may not have left Madison Square Garden, they may not have turned the TV off, but they gave up hope. And then the unimaginable happened: the New York Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, capped by OG Anunoby’s go-ahead tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining, taking a 3-1 series lead and putting themselves just one win away from their first championship in 53 years.

“Sports has been my whole life, and this is exactly why. Because where else do you get something like this? Where else do you sit through this?” Francesa asked. “You never ever know. You never know.”

You don’t even have to be a Knicks fan to appreciate what happened during their historic comeback win against the Spurs, just a sports fan. Because sports fans spend a lifetime rooting for their favorite teams, hoping for a night like Wednesday night in New York City. And for Knicks fans, that night came during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

“This is one where I would have come down, and I would have pointed out the things the Knicks did wrong when they had the ability to swing the game to them, where it was their game,” Francesa noted of Game 4, looking like a missed opportunity for the Knicks until Anunoby’s game-winner.

“And now on a night where you could hear a pin drop in the Garden in the first half, an absolute pin drop. I think right now, on 33rd or 31st, or on Seventh or Eighth, there’s a little noise going on right now. Somehow, I think that scene is a little joyous outside the Garden right now. And if you were there, you got one to tell the grandkids about.”

Even if you weren’t there, this will still be one to tell the grandkids about, but now the Knicks need to finish the job. Because as great as Game 4 was for OG Anunoby, it will only take three losses for Wednesday night to be remembered as the John Starks dunk or Endy Chavez catch. Great moments and plays in New York that ultimately fell short of a championship.