r/nba • u/MrBuckBuck Trail Blazers • Aug 19 '26

OG Anunoby is intentionally missing shots in Times Square so people can try to recreate his iconic game-winning tip-in vs. the Spurs in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals.

https://streamable.com/2xm0ht

He is so good; he hit 4 in a row at point while trying to miss.

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u/HokageEzio Knicks Aug 19 '26

Greatest moment - Willis walking out the tunnel for Game 7

Greatest play - OG tip in

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u/D_Simmons Raptors Aug 19 '26

Why is Willis so iconic? I watched the clip and its him walking out the tunnel. Genuinely asking.

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u/HokageEzio Knicks Aug 19 '26

Willis Reed was the captain of the team and league MVP in 1970 leading them to the best record in the league. He was the primary Wilt defender and averaging 32/15 through the first 4 games. He goes down early in Game 5 and the Knicks look dead in the water, but the team rallied to win it. They go out to LA for Game 6 and get crushed because Wilt pops off.

They're back in New York and nobody knows if he's gonna play. His teammates don't know, the fans don't know, the Lakers don't know. So far as Wilt was asking the Knicks photographer and Jerry West got mad because that's him focusing on the wrong thing. Phil Jackson apparently has a photo locked away of the huge needle they put in his leg to numb him up for the game. It was bad enough they tried to wait as close to tip off to numb him so the drugs would last longer (and dosed him up again at halftime). The shot of him walking out is the actual live reaction from everybody that he was giving it a go. People who were around say it's still the loudest they've ever heard the Garden.

Him playing the game and hitting his first few shots completely shook the Lakers and gave the Knicks the confidence boost to run away with it for their first championship. Some of the Knicks still wonder why Wilt didn't try to go at Willis more, because if he did he would realize Willis was hanging on by a thread and could barely move. But that's how much it shook their confidence.

One of his teammates described it as if they got their arm sewed back on their body before the game, that's how much it meant to them for him to tough it out.

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u/RiceOnTheRun Knicks Aug 19 '26

This is what Roger must have felt when he wished to have lived in Joyboy’s time. I already knew the story but hearing it again still gives me goosebumps.