For the first time in NBA history, both conference-finals openers went to overtime

The NBA’s two 2026 conference-finals openers both went beyond regulation, a first in league history, according to an NBA recap video published on YouTube on May 22. The games were New York’s overtime win over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals and San Antonio’s double-overtime win over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. NBA.com recaps of both games show each series began with an extra-session finish, with the Knicks rallying from 22 points down and Victor Wembanyama leading the Spurs in his conference-finals debut. ### Which two games put this on the books? May 19 produced the Eastern Conference opener, with the Knicks beating the Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. NBA.com said New York closed on a 44-11 run and completed a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback after trailing by that margin with less than eight minutes left. (youtube.com) May 18 produced the Western Conference opener, with the Spurs beating the Thunder 122-115 in double overtime. NBA.com described the game as an “instant classic,” and the game summary said it was the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to reach double overtime, the first such Game 1 since 2013. (nba.com) ### How unusual was the Knicks-Cavaliers finish? NBA.com’s live recap said Jalen Brunson and the Knicks rallied to win after Cleveland had built a 22-point lead. The same NBA.com coverage said the Knicks’ late push turned into a 44-11 closing run that carried through overtime. CBS Sports, in its preview of the next game, said New York had trailed by 22 with less than eight minutes remaining before outscoring Cleveland 14-3 in overtime. (nba.com) That gave the East finals an opener that was already being framed around the size of the comeback before the series moved on. (nba.com) ### What happened in Spurs-Thunder Game 1? Victor Wembanyama’s first conference-finals game came in San Antonio’s 122-115 win over Oklahoma City in double overtime. NBA.com’s recap said Wembanyama lifted the Spurs in the extra periods, and the official game summary noted the Thunder got 26 points from Jalen Williams and 24 points with 12 assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (nba.com) The NBA’s playoff page later referred to that opener as a “double-overtime thriller” when previewing Game 2. ESPN also reported that Spurs-Thunder Game 1 averaged 9.2 million viewers on NBC, calling it the most-watched Western Conference finals Game 1 in NBA history. ### Where did the “first time ever” claim come from? The NBA said in a YouTube recap uploaded May 22 that “both NBA Conference Finals Openers went to OT for the first time ever.” The video description identified the two games as the Spurs’ overtime win over the Thunder and the Knicks’ overtime comeback against the Cavaliers. (nba.com) NBA.com’s game recaps support the underlying sequence of events: one East opener went to overtime and one West opener went to double overtime. (nba.com) Taken together, those results match the historical claim presented in the May 22 video. ### What came next in each series? May 20 brought Game 2 in the West, and NBA.com said Oklahoma City evened the series at 1-1 by beating San Antonio 122-113. (youtube.com) The league’s playoff page said the Thunder responded after the “double-overtime thriller” in Game 1. The 2026 NBA Finals are scheduled to start June 3 on ABC, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule page. (nba.com) As of this week, the remaining field was Knicks-Cavaliers in the East and Spurs-Thunder in the West. (espn.com) (nba.com)