The situation was dire for the New York Knicks when Staten Island legends Wu-Tang Clan took the floor at Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals Game 4 halftime show. Perhaps the bad vibes from Trump’s Game 3 visit were lingering, as the Spurs held a 76-49 lead at intermission, thanks to torrid shooting and matador defense from the Knicks.
It looked like the series was going to return to San Antonio tied 2-2. Without much to cheer for, the crowd was lifeless. During halftime, Wu-Tang changed the energy in the building with an emphatic, hits-filled performance including “Bring Da Ruckus,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F Wit,” “Method Man,” and “C.R.E.AM.” Walking off the court, Method Man predicted, “Knicks in 5.” Watch fan-shot footage below.
After the Spurs went up by a seemingly insurmountable 29 points in the third quarter, however, it seemed like Wu-Tang Clan’s performance, Taylor Swift’s presence,a Tuesday saging of MSG, and WWE wrestler Danhausen’s backing of the Knicks weren’t going to be enough.
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But the Knicks gradually chipped away at the Spurs’ lead, taking advantage of suddenly ice-cold shooting to cut the deficit to 15 by the fourth quarter. They stood a fighting chance, with OG Anunoby carrying the team with clutch 3-pointers and playing his usual lockdown defense, and Jalen Brunson poised to live up to his clutch reputation.
Coach Mike Brown’s decision to play a dual-point guard backcourt of Brunson and pesky Jose Alvarado proved to be a wise one, as it took ball-handling pressure off the Captain to free him up for his usual key baskets, including a huge 3-pointer over Victor Wembanyama.
However, it all came down to a once-in-a-lifetime play. After Stephon Castle made two free throws to give the Spurs the lead, Brunson attempted a long 3-pointer to win the game. It bounced out, but Anunoby flew in seemingly out of nowhere to tip in the rebound.
This put the Knicks up 107-106 with 1.2 seconds to go, and smothering defense from Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart prevented the Spurs from even taking a shot.
Part of the history-making win came down to the Spurs losing their shooting touch,poor coaching decisions, and some boneheaded plays late in the game. However, the Knicks also never gave up and took advantage of a good measure of luck (and a seemingly lifted curse) on their side.
Knicks in 5.
It was Wu-Tang at halftime that changed the energy.
I’m being 100% serious.
Meth walked off and said “Knicks in 5.”
And here we are.
— Paul Cantor (@PaulCantor) June 11, 2026
Wu-Tang Clan came through for the Knicks. You can’t lose with this type of energy in the building. pic.twitter.com/glzCRn0Jh7
— Andrés Tardio (@AndresWrites) June 11, 2026
