For most of the fourth quarter, Madison Square Garden sounded like it was trying to talk itself into hope. The Cleveland Cavaliers had control, a 22-point lead, and a cushion that usually turns a conference finals opener into a warning. Then the Knicks did what this version of the Knicks has made a habit of doing: they refused to leave.
New York erased a 93-71 deficit with under eight minutes remaining, closed regulation on a 30-8 run, and beat Cleveland 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the Knicks’ largest playoff comeback in franchise history and the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.
@opencourtWHAT AN INSANE COMEBACK! The New York Knicks come back from being down 22 points in the 4th quarter to win in overtime. WHAT A GAME! 🤯🔥 Jalen Brunson is a DOG 😤
Jalen Brunson was the fire starter and the closer. He finished with 38 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals, scoring 17 of those points in the final minutes of regulation and overtime. When the game began to tilt, he did not rush it. He carved it. New York kept getting stops, kept finding life, kept dragging Cleveland into possessions that suddenly felt heavier than they should have.
“Find a way,” Brunson said afterward. “We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.”
The Cavaliers had every reason to feel sick. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 29 points, but his final basket came with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter. Evan Mobley added 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, yet Cleveland’s offense froze when it needed one clean possession to steady itself. The Cavs were outscored 44-11 over the final 7:40 of the fourth quarter and overtime, including 14-3 in the extra period.
The Knicks’ supporting cast turned the comeback from fantasy into fact. Mikal Bridges scored 18, Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points and 13 rebounds, while OG Anunoby and Josh Hart each added 13. Landry Shamet scored all nine of his points during the late surge, including the kind of three that makes an arena stop worrying and start believing.
That was the cruelty of it for Cleveland. The Cavs did not slowly lose Game 1. They had it ripped away. At 93-71, the night belonged to them. By overtime, the Garden had become a storm, and the Knicks were no longer chasing the game. They were hunting it.
Game 1 does not decide a series. But it can change the way a series feels. Cleveland now has to carry the memory of a game it should have buried. New York carries something much more dangerous: proof that even 22 points and a ticking clock may not be enough to kill these Knicks.
