Knicks beat Cavaliers in OT, lead 1–0

The New York Knicks opened the Eastern Conference finals with a 115-104 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, May 19, at Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points as New York erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. NBA.com said the Knicks closed the game on a 44-11 run over the final 7:40 of regulation and overtime, while Cleveland shot 22% the rest of the way. CBS Sports described the rally as a historic comeback after New York forced overtime and then pulled away. ### How big was the hole New York climbed out of? The Cavaliers led 93-71 with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter before the game turned, according to NBA.com. New York then ripped off a 30-8 surge to force overtime and finished the night with a double-digit margin. CBS Sports said the Knicks’ 22-point fourth-quarter comeback was the largest in a conference finals game since 1997. AP called it the Knicks’ greatest postseason comeback, with the rally coming almost entirely behind a defense that tightened late and a Brunson-led offense that finally found pace. ### What did Brunson do to swing the game? Brunson finished with 38 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals, according to NBA.com. The league’s live recap said he scored 17 points across the fourth quarter and overtime as the Knicks chipped away possession by possession. “Find a way,” Brunson said after the game, according to NBA.com. “We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.” Landry Shamet added a late 3-pointer in overtime that pushed New York’s lead to 110-101 with 1:49 remaining, NBA.com said. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points, according to the NBA’s game highlights. ### How did Cleveland let control slip? Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley added 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, NBA.com said. But Mitchell’s last basket came with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, just before the Knicks’ comeback accelerated. AP said the Knicks would not have been able to come all the way back without Cleveland collapsing late. NBA.com’s recap said the Cavaliers shot 22% from the point they led by 22 through the end of overtime. ### Why are people calling the comeback historic? CBS Sports used that description because of the size of the deficit and the stage of the game. The outlet said New York’s rally was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a conference finals game since 1997. NBA.com added another piece of context: this was the first time in league history that both Game 1s of the conference finals went to overtime. That put Knicks-Cavaliers alongside Monday’s double-overtime opener in the Western Conference finals. ### What does the series schedule look like now? The series stands at 1-0 for New York after Tuesday’s result at Madison Square Garden. CBS Sports’ playoff schedule lists Game 2 for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, again in New York. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, and Game 4 for Monday, May 25, both with Cleveland listed as the home team, according to CBS Sports.