Knicks steal Game 1 vs Cavaliers May 19

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime on May 19 at Madison Square Garden, overcoming a 20-point deficit to open the Eastern Conference finals with a home win. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points for New York, according to game coverage and box scores, as the Knicks closed on a 44-11 run to take control late and in overtime. Cleveland's loss also hit the betting market: Sports Illustrated reported DraftKings moved the Cavaliers' NBA Finals odds to +3000 from +2000 after Game 1. ### How big was the comeback? New York erased a 20-point hole, a rally that NBA.com said made the Knicks the second team in the play-by-play era to come back from 20 down in a conference finals game. FOX Sports' box score said the Knicks ended the game on a 44-11 run after trailing 93-71. The Associated Press described the finish as both a Knicks comeback and a Cavaliers collapse, saying Cleveland went cold as New York surged back at Madison Square Garden. (foxsports.com) AP said the Cavaliers led by 20 in the third quarter before the Knicks turned the game. ### Who drove New York's finish? (nba.com) Jalen Brunson scored 38 points, the game-high total, to lead New York in the opener, according to Sporting News and FOX Sports box scores. NBA.com said Brunson got hot in the fourth quarter as the Knicks' offense revived late. (apnews.com) Madison Square Garden hosted what USA Today called an improbable rally after the Knicks appeared headed for a home loss. The game ended 115-104 in overtime, with New York taking a 1-0 series lead. ### What happened to Cleveland after it took control? Cleveland built a 20-point lead but finished with 104 points after overtime, while New York scored 115 and dominated the closing stretch. (sportingnews.com) FOX Sports listed the Cavaliers at 40.0% shooting and 19 turnovers, compared with 47.7% shooting for New York. (usatoday.com) AP said the Cavaliers collapsed late, and NBA.com said Cleveland "went cold at the wrong time" as New York completed the comeback. Those descriptions came after Cleveland had controlled much of the game before the Knicks' late push. ### How did sportsbooks react? Sports Illustrated reported on May 20 that DraftKings cut Cleveland's NBA Finals odds to +3000 after the opener, down from +2000 entering the series. (foxsports.com) SI said those odds implied a 3.23% chance to win the title. Fox Sports' championship odds page listed the Cavaliers at +3000 on May 21, behind Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New York. (apnews.com) That matched the post-Game 1 drop cited by SI. ### When is the next game? Yahoo Sports' playoff bracket page listed Game 2 of Knicks-Cavaliers for Thursday, May 21, in New York. Yahoo's schedule showed the Knicks leading the series 1-0 after the May 19 opener. (si.com) Yahoo Sports also listed the rest of the series, with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday, May 23, and Game 4 for Monday, May 25. (foxsports.com) The NBA Finals are set to begin on June 3, according to Yahoo's postseason schedule. (sports.yahoo.com)