Both conference finals open in overtime for the first time in NBA history

The NBA got an unusual start to its final four this week: both conference finals opened with overtime games for the first time in league history. San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 122-115 in double overtime on Monday, May 18, and New York followed with a 115-104 overtime win over Cleveland on Tuesday, May 19. Yahoo Sports and NBA.com both noted the back-to-back results as a first for the conference finals round. ### How rare is this, exactly? Monday’s Western Conference opener was already unusual on its own. NBA.com said San Antonio’s win over Oklahoma City was a double-overtime game in a conference finals, with Victor Wembanyama posting 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks in the Spurs’ Game 1 victory at Paycom Center. Tuesday’s Eastern Conference opener then pushed the week into a separate category. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports said New York’s overtime win over Cleveland, one day after Spurs-Thunder went to double overtime, made this the first time in NBA history that both conference finals opened with an overtime game. (nba.com) ### What happened in the West that set this up? San Antonio took Game 1 in Oklahoma City behind Wembanyama and a deep supporting line from rookie guard Dylan Harper. NBA.com said Harper added 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in the 122-115 win, while the Spurs moved ahead 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. (sports.yahoo.com) The Thunder forced extra time before fading late. NBA.com’s game summary listed the final as 122-115 after two overtimes, and its playoff coverage said Oklahoma City was dealing with what writer Shaun Powell called a “big problem to solve” in Wembanyama after his first conference finals game. That characterization was Powell’s, not an official team statement. (cdn-uat.nba.com) ### How did the East game turn into the second overtime opener? New York trailed Cleveland 93-71 with 7:52 left in regulation before flipping the game. NBA.com said the Knicks closed on a 44-11 run over the final 7:40 of the fourth quarter and overtime, winning 115-104 in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson led that rally with 38 points. AP’s game story on NBA.com said Brunson “sparked one of the NBA’s greatest postseason comebacks,” while NBA.com’s own recap said the Knicks came back from 22 down in the fourth quarter. ### Was the Knicks comeback historic on its own? The 22-point hole was notable even before the broader conference-finals quirk. Yahoo Sports and NBA.com both framed the comeback as a stunning reversal, with Cleveland in control late and New York finishing the game in overtime to take a 1-0 series lead. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) NBA.com’s takeaways said Brunson scored 17 points in the closing stretch and overtime, along with four assists, as the Knicks outscored Cleveland 44-11 over the final 12:45. Cleveland shot 22% over the remainder of the game after leading by 22, according to NBA.com’s live recap. ### What comes next in both series? San Antonio and New York both lead their series 1-0 after the overtime openers. (sports.yahoo.com) NBA.com’s playoff pages list the Western Conference finals continuing with Game 2 in Oklahoma City, while the Eastern Conference finals move to Game 2 in New York. ESPN’s playoff tracker says the 2026 NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 3 on ABC. (nba.com) Before that, the Spurs, Thunder, Knicks and Cavaliers return for Game 2s with both series now starting from the same unusual place: an overtime opener and an early deficit for the higher seed. (sports.yahoo.com) (nba.com)