Both NBA conference-finals openers go to overtime — first time both Game 1s reach OT

The 2026 NBA conference finals started with two overtime games in two nights, a first for the league’s final four round, according to NBA and media reports. San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 122-115 in double overtime in Western Conference finals Game 1 on May 18, and New York beat Cleveland 115-104 in overtime in Eastern Conference finals Game 1 on May 19. (nba.com) NBA video and recap pages, along with an NBA YouTube upload published May 20, framed the back-to-back extra-session openers as a historical first. The two games arrived in different ways. Victor Wembanyama lifted the Spurs in an “instant classic,” NBA.com said of the West opener, while Jalen Brunson led New York back from 22 points down in the fourth quarter in the East. (nba.com) By Wednesday night, Oklahoma City had answered with a Game 2 win to even the West series 1-1, leaving the East as the remaining series still playing off its overtime opener. ### How unusual was this start to the conference finals? NBA and media accounts described the sequence as unprecedented for conference-finals openers. (nba.com) An NBA YouTube video published May 20 said both conference finals openers went to overtime “for the first time ever,” and Newsweek reported the same milestone on May 21. The official game summaries show why the claim stands out. San Antonio and Oklahoma City needed two extra periods before the Spurs closed out a 122-115 win on May 18, and Cleveland and New York went to one overtime before the Knicks won 115-104 on May 19. (nba.com) ### What happened in the West opener? San Antonio won Game 1 in Oklahoma City after a double-overtime finish that NBA.com called an “instant classic.” Victor Wembanyama hit what NBA.com described as a Stephen Curry-like 3-pointer as the Spurs took a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. (youtube.com) Game 1’s 122-115 final also fed into the broader tone of the series. NBA.com said on May 21 that San Antonio’s double-overtime victory delivered the highest average viewership for a Western Conference finals Game 1. (nba.com) ### How did New York force overtime in the East? Jalen Brunson scored 38 points as New York rallied from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Cleveland 115-104 at Madison Square Garden on May 19. Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press, in the NBA.com game summary, called it one of the NBA’s greatest postseason comebacks. NBA.com’s takeaways page said the Knicks completed the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a conference finals game since 1997. (nba.com) The same recap said Cleveland controlled much of the first 40 minutes before New York’s late surge changed the game. (nba.com) ### Why were analysts focusing on execution and fatigue? YouTube coverage published May 20 and May 21 emphasized how both openers turned on late possessions and overtime management. One NBA video highlighted the historical first, while another video revisited past double-overtime conference finals games, framing the current postseason through endurance and late-game execution. (nba.com) A separate film-breakdown video on the East opener focused on Brunson’s shot creation and Cleveland’s mistakes, echoing NBA.com’s account that the Cavaliers unraveled after building a large lead. That interpretation came from the video framing and the NBA recap language, not from league officials. (nba.com) ### What comes next in each series? Oklahoma City responded immediately on May 20, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points as the Thunder beat San Antonio in Game 2 to tie the Western Conference finals 1-1, NBA.com said. (youtube.com) The NBA’s 2026 playoffs page lists the conference-finals bracket and upcoming games, with New York holding a 1-0 lead over Cleveland in the East and San Antonio and Oklahoma City tied 1-1 in the West. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) (nba.com 3)