NBA: both conference‑finals Game 1s went to overtime — a first in league history

The NBA’s two conference-finals openers both went to overtime this week, something the league had never seen before in the same postseason round. New York’s Game 1 against Cleveland at Madison Square Garden on May 19 needed one extra period, and San Antonio’s Game 1 against Oklahoma City on May 20 went to double overtime, according to NBA.com and Sportsnet. Sportsnet noted both games were tied 101-101 at the end of regulation. The results left the Knicks and Spurs with early series leads and gave the 2026 conference finals an unusual statistical marker. ### Which games produced the first-ever double overtime opening to both conference finals? May 19 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Cavaliers in overtime in the Eastern Conference finals opener, NBA.com said. The league’s daily roundup called it the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a conference-finals game since 1997. May 20 in San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs past the defending champion Thunder 122-115 in double overtime in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, according to NBA.com and Sportsnet. Sportsnet said that result, paired with New York’s overtime win a night earlier, made it the first time both conference-finals Game 1s had gone beyond regulation. (nba.com) ### What was the oddest common detail between the two openers? Sportsnet reported both games reached the end of regulation tied 101-101. That gave the two openers not only the same overtime outcome, but the same regulation score line before the extra sessions began. NBA.com separately described the East opener as a “Miracle at MSG” and the West opener as an “instant classic,” language that reflected how narrow both finishes were. (nba.com) In New York, the comeback came after the Knicks trailed by 22 with less than eight minutes left in regulation, according to NBA.com’s playoff history feature. (sportsnet.ca) ### Who drove the winning teams late? Victor Wembanyama finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds in San Antonio’s Game 1 win over Oklahoma City, Sportsnet said in its highlights recap. NBA.com said the Spurs star hit what it called a Stephen Curry-style 3-pointer as part of a performance that decided the game in the extra periods. (nba.com) Sportsnet said the common thread in both games was that “the best player on the winning teams decided to become the best player on the floor at crunch time.” In the East, NBA.com’s playoff coverage centered on New York’s late rally rather than a single closing sequence, but identified the comeback itself as a history-making result. (sportsnet.ca) ### How rare is this in NBA playoff history? Sportsnet described both Game 1s going to overtime as a conference-finals first. NBA.com’s coverage of the two games supports the rarity by separately marking each opener as historically notable — New York for the size of its late comeback and San Antonio for a double-overtime start to the West finals. (sportsnet.ca) The 2026 playoffs page on NBA.com showed the next immediate step in the bracket after the first two thrillers: Spurs-Thunder moved on to Game 2, while the Knicks and Cavaliers prepared to resume the Eastern Conference finals after New York’s overtime escape. ### What comes next in the series? Game 2 of the Western Conference finals followed the double-overtime opener, with NBA.com carrying live updates for Spurs-Thunder after what it called a “classic.” The league’s playoff hub also listed the NBA Finals as beginning June 3. (sportsnet.ca) In the East, the Knicks took a 1-0 lead back onto the floor after the May 19 overtime win at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) The next games in both series will determine whether the historic openers become an early pattern or remain a one-week anomaly in the 2026 postseason. (nba.com)