Knicks win Game 1 in overtime, take 1-0 lead vs. Cavaliers

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime on Tuesday, May 19, to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points, and the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit after trailing 93-71 with 7:52 left, according to NBA.com. The Knicks closed the game on a 44-11 run spanning the final minutes of regulation and overtime. Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for Cleveland, which had been in control for most of the night. ### How big was the comeback? NBA.com said New York’s rally began with the Knicks down 22 in the fourth quarter and ended with one of the league’s largest postseason turnarounds. CBS Sports reported it was the biggest comeback in a conference finals game since 1997. The Knicks tied the score at 101-101 on a Brunson basket with 19 seconds left in regulation, then opened overtime with a 9-0 run. (nba.com) The final stretch turned on New York’s defense as much as its shot-making. NBA.com said Cleveland shot 22% over the remainder of the game after building the 93-71 lead, while the Knicks kept forcing stops and pushing the pace back toward Brunson and their perimeter shooters. (nba.com) ### What did Brunson do late? Brunson scored 38 points with five rebounds, six assists and three steals, according to NBA.com’s live recap. NBA.com said 17 of those points came in the fourth quarter and overtime as he repeatedly attacked Cleveland’s defense to get New York back into the game. (nba.com) After the game, Brunson described the comeback in simple terms. “Find a way,” he said, according to NBA.com. “We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.” In the Associated Press recap carried on NBA.com, Brunson also said the message during the deficit was: “Just keep fighting.” (nba.com) ### Who else swung the game for New York? Mikal Bridges added 18 points for New York, and OG Anunoby was one of three Knicks players who scored 13 points, according to the AP recap on NBA.com. Landry Shamet hit a late overtime 3-pointer that pushed the Knicks’ lead to 110-101 with 1:49 remaining, NBA.com’s live blog said. (nba.com) Madison Square Garden also became part of the story once overtime began. NBA.com’s game recap described the crowd “danced and screamed in the aisles” as the Knicks finished the rally and moved within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. ### What happened to Cleveland after taking control? (nba.com) Mitchell led Cleveland with 29 points, and Evan Mobley added 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, according to NBA.com. Cleveland appeared on course for a third straight road playoff win before the offense stalled late and New York’s pressure changed the game. (nba.com) The Cavaliers’ collapse was visible in the scoring run. NBA.com said Mitchell’s last basket came with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, just before New York’s closing surge took over the game. USA Today described the finish as an “epic rally” by the Knicks and a late collapse by Cleveland. (nba.com) ### What comes next in the series? Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. Eastern at Madison Square Garden, according to NBA.com and CBS Sports. NBA.com said the game will air on ESPN, with the series then shifting to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday, May 23. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)