San Antonio (AFP) – OG Anunoby, who sent New York into a frenzy with a game-winning tip-in that put the Knicks on the brink of the NBA title, says he’s “grateful” to suddenly find himself among the city’s sports pantheon. Anunoby sprinted from the sideline into the lane and rose to rebound a Jalen Brunson miss, softly tapping the ball into the net for a 107-106 Knicks triumph in a game in which they had trailed by 29.
“Right hand from God,” teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said of the shot that sealed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history and gave the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series. Sure enough, the side-by-side photo of Anunoby’s shot and Argentine star Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup surged through social media.
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“It’s a really cool picture,” said the famously even-keeled London-born forward, the same reaction he had to declarations of OG Anunoby appreciation days in several boroughs of sports-mad New York City. “Everyone has been telling me how much it means, and obviously I can see how much it means,” he said as the Knicks prepared for Saturday’s game five in San Antonio. “It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m really grateful.”
Anunoby’s tip-in, immediately deemed “iconic” by coach Mike Brown, joined a list of such New York sports moments as Bobby Thompson’s three-run homer to give baseball’s New York Giants a victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1951 National League championship series. It evoked injured Knicks captain Willis Reed’s inspiring performance in game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals and David Tyree’s “helmet catch” from quarterback Eli Manning in the New York Giants’ game-winning final drive in Super Bowl 42.
But teammate Karl-Anthony Towns noted that Anunoby’s low-key response to the accolades is by nature and, with the title still not secured, by necessity. “I tried to explain it to him, but you know OG barely gives you any reaction. So I don’t know if he’s understanding it or not,” Towns said. “It’s a great moment. It’s one of the best sports moments in New York history — but we’ve got to solidify it with one more win.”
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