Knicks erase 22-point deficit in OT

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, taking a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals after erasing a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points, and New York turned a game that appeared finished into one of the biggest playoff comebacks in recent league history. The Cavaliers led 93-71 with 7:52 left in regulation before the Knicks surged back. (apnews.com) The comeback was the largest fourth-quarter rally in a conference finals game since 1997, according to CBS Sports. ### How far down were the Knicks, exactly? Cleveland led by 22 points in the fourth quarter, with the margin reaching 93-71 midway through the period. The Knicks then finished regulation and overtime on a 44-11 run, according to game coverage and recap reports. The final score obscured how firmly Cleveland controlled much of the night. By the time New York forced overtime, the Cavaliers had gone from protecting a comfortable lead to trying to stop a game that had completely flipped. (apnews.com) ### Who drove the comeback for New York? Jalen Brunson finished with 38 points and was the central figure in the rally, according to the Associated Press recap carried by multiple outlets. AP described it as the Knicks’ greatest postseason comeback, and Yahoo called it the largest comeback playoff win in franchise history. (hip-hopvibe.com) The Knicks’ late push was not a single-possession swing but a sustained closing burst. NBA.com’s live coverage and other recaps showed New York stringing together stops and threes as Madison Square Garden came back into the game. (apnews.com) ### How unusual was this comeback? CBS Sports said the rally was the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a conference finals game since 1997. AP said it was one of the NBA’s greatest postseason comebacks, while Yahoo called it the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the play-by-play era. (apnews.com) Those descriptions vary slightly because they use different statistical frames, but all place the game in rare territory. The broader historical marker is clear: teams do not usually recover from a 22-point deficit that late in a conference finals game. (nba.com) New York did, and it did so in an opener that immediately changed the shape of the series scoreboard. ### What happened to Cleveland late? Cleveland lost control of the game in the closing minutes of regulation and then was outscored decisively in overtime. Cleveland.com described the finish as the Cavaliers unraveling late as New York ripped away Game 1. (cbssports.com) The Cavaliers had put themselves in position to steal the opener on the road. Instead, the Knicks left with the series lead, and Cleveland left with a collapse that will frame the conversation heading into the next game. (apnews.com) ### What does the result change in the series right now? New York now leads the Eastern Conference finals 1-0 after taking the opener at home. ESPN’s playoff coverage lists the conference finals as the last round before the NBA Finals, which are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. (cleveland.com) Game 2 is the next immediate step in the series, with Cleveland trying to avoid a 2-0 hole and New York trying to turn a single historic comeback into control of the matchup. (cbssports.com) (apnews.com)