The Knicks were down 29 points. They didn't quit. They kept grinding. One play at a time. One defensive stop. One shot scored, and then another, and another.
Jalen Brunson used a baseball metaphor: “Hit singles, get on base, make some plays.”
And then finally, improbably, the game was in reach.
It would still take an incredible put-back by OG, which might very well one day become a statue outside of Madison Square Garden.
The OG play is already so iconic that many people will likely forget the play that came right after: with 1.2 seconds left, KAT managed to get a fingertip on the inbound pass that would have likely been an easy dunk for Castle and would have given the Spurs the win.
It was probably the biggest defensive play of the game, possibly the series.
Every detail mattered, every moment led to this. Because they continued to fight, even in the face of a historic deficit.
A dream season continues.
Never, ever, ever give up.