There are two sides to a comeback the likes of which the basketball world saw on Wednesday night.

While the Knicks chipped away at a 29-point deficit in the second half, eventually taking the lead and holding on in improbable fashion, the Spurs allowed such a comeback.

But why and how did it happen?

Well, it was two-fold. The hot shooting that the Spurs enjoyed in the first half -- making 59.6 percent of their shots and 53.8 from three through the first two quarters -- led to 76 points. That was lost in the third and fourth quarters as San Antonio made just 20.5 percent of their shots and 17.6 percent from three. They scored just 30 points. 

They also turned the ball over nine times in the second half, when they only had two in the first. 

"To put as much good work into that first half as we did and get the lead that we had and not finish the job, it's disappointing to say the least," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. "We felt the momentum [shift]. Too much to overcome? I didn’t feel that way until the clock hit zero.... We got away from playing the brand of basketball that got us the lead. And then you saw At times, the aggressiveness and conviction taht we played with early on dissipated and they made some shots. We needed a couple of more tough-minded plays to finish the job."

"It began before that," Victor Wembanyama said of when the collapse started. "I can’t really explain it right now. Execution, greediness, of some sort. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half." 

Wembanyama enjoyed 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the first half. In the second half, he scored just eight points on 3 of 14 shooting and missed two crucial free throws in the waning minutes. 

When the star center was asked about the feeling in the locker room, he described it as "painful."

"Feels like we worked too hard to give up our lead. It’s as simple as that. It just hurt," he said.

"It definitely hurt, angry. It’s all fuel for the fire for us," Spurs guard Dylan Harper, who finished with 21 points said. "We’re going to go out the next game with a sense of fire. And just move on to Game 5. Nothing we can do about it now."

The series shifts back to San Antonio as the Spurs face elimination. They've been in this situation before. In the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, the Spurs won Game 6 at home and a deciding Game 7 on the road to eliminate the defending champions. 

That experience paints Wembanyama's outlook on the series despite being down 1-3 in the series. And he believes his teammates will respond.

"It’s going to go one of two ways," Wembanyama said. "One of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one will be giving up. The good one will be getting stronger through this, getting more together and that’s what we’re going to do."

He added: "Holding each other accountable, communicating, not pointing fingers. After that, we either got it or we don’t. We’ver proven that we can surpass these difficulties but even though we haven’t been there it before, I’m convinced we are built this way. We’re going to get better from this and It’s going to tighten us up."

Game 5 takes place Saturday night with the Knicks looking to capture their first title in over 50 years.  

Victor Wembanyama was asked about the Spurs' second half collapse in Game 4

"Can't really explain it right now. Execution, greediness of some sort. We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half" pic.twitter.com/uMGFV6HR9m

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 11, 2026