San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson reacted after his team blew a 29-point lead and lost to the New York Knicks in Game 4.
The Spurs dominated the first half of the game, taking a 76-49 lead into halftime. At one point in the third quarter, San Antonio was up 81-52, and it appeared that the game was all but over.
But the Knicks kept clawing back, and the Spurs kept missing shots.
In the end, it was a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left by Knicks wing OG Anunoby that proved to be the difference as New York completed the epic comeback and won Game 4 107-106 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
The 29-point comeback by the Knicks was the biggest in NBA Finals history.
Mitch Johnson Talks About Spurs Choking the Game Away
Speaking to reporters following the Spurs’ Game 4 loss, Johnson couldn’t help but express his shock at what he saw transpire on the court, watching helplessly as his team blew a massive lead and choked away a key game in their bid to win the NBA Championship.
“At the top of the list, obviously, the circumstances and the stakes of what we’re playing for, and to put as much good work into the first half as we did and not finish the job was disappointing, to say the least,” Johnson said.
In addition, Johnson broke down what he saw went wrong offensively for his team in the second half of the game.
“Obviously, a few things: to score 30 points in a half, we got away from what got us the 76 points in the first half, just in terms of putting pressure on the rim, rolling after screens, running, continuing to find the paint, whether it’s for ourselves or our teammates, we got on our heels. We missed some shots, and then you don’t get as many free throws and high-percentage looks,” Johnson said.
Spurs a Huge Underdog to Come Back and Win NBA Finals
Following their loss in Game 4, the Spurs are now +380 underdogs at DraftKings Sportsbook to come back and win the NBA Finals, with the Knicks -500 favorites to capture their first NBA Championship since 1973.
With the Spurs down 3-1, they have to win every remaining game of the series to win the NBA Championship, so there is literally no breathing room for them if they want to come back and win this series.
The good news for San Antonio is that Game 5 takes place at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, so the Spurs will have home-court advantage for that must-win game. But they already lost both of their home games in Games 1 and 2 of this series, so just because the game is on their home court doesn’t mean they are a lock to get the win.
The Spurs are a phenomenal team, and they showed that in their first-half performance against the Knicks. But they coughed up a monster lead to blow the game in what can only be described as one of the biggest choke jobs in not just NBA history, but sports history in general, given the massive stakes.
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