Knicks overturn 22-point deficit Game 1

The New York Knicks opened the Eastern Conference finals with a comeback that reached 22 points in the fourth quarter and ended in a 115-104 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson scored 38 points, according to the NBA’s game summary, as New York turned what had been a late collapse into a 1-0 series lead. (nba.com) The Knicks finished the game on a 44-11 run, according to Fox Sports’ game recap. ESPN reported that New York’s late offensive shift centered on repeatedly attacking James Harden in space. ### How big was the hole New York climbed out of? A 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter put the Knicks on the edge of a home loss before the rally began on May 19. amNewYork reported that New York overturned a 22-point fourth-quarter hole, while the NBA’s official recap said Brunson led one of the postseason’s biggest comebacks. (ny1.com) The 115-104 final did not reflect how firmly Cleveland controlled long stretches of regulation. Fox Sports said the Knicks closed the night on a 44-11 run, and Yahoo reported the comeback was the largest in Knicks playoff history and the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the play-by-play era. (nba.com) ### What changed late in the fourth quarter? ESPN reported that Jalen Brunson drove the change in tone by steering New York into actions that forced James Harden to defend more often. That tactical adjustment became the center of the Knicks’ late offense as Brunson attacked downhill and New York found cleaner looks in the half court. (amny.com) Brunson’s 38 points gave the comeback its clearest statistical anchor. The NBA recap said he “sparked” the rally, and NY1 reported he helped ignite an 18-1 surge before tying the game with 19 seconds left in regulation. (foxsports.com) ### Which Knicks mattered beyond Brunson? Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson drew notice after the game as secondary pieces who helped stabilize the turnaround. A Last Word On Basketball article, surfaced in syndicated results, described the pair as the “unsung heroes” of the win after New York looked finished in the fourth quarter. (sports.yahoo.com) Mitchell Robinson’s interior presence and Josh Hart’s activity fit the shape of the comeback, even as the scoring headline stayed with Brunson. The broader reporting around the game consistently centered on Brunson’s shot-making while pointing to role players who extended possessions and changed the energy of the closing stretch. (nba.com) ### Why did the result land so hard in this series? Tuesday’s result came one year after New York lost a very different Game 1 in the conference finals, when the Knicks gave away a late lead against Indiana. (newsbreak.com) The NBA recap explicitly framed the Cavaliers comeback against that backdrop, noting that a year after New York “coughed up” a lead in the same round, it was the Knicks who found the late offense this time. Cleveland also let slip a road opener it had largely controlled. ESPN’s conference-finals roundup, cited in the source briefing, described that kind of missed chance as especially costly in a tight series, and coverage after the game focused heavily on the scale of the collapse. (newsbreak.com) ### What comes next after Game 1? Game 2 is set for Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with New York holding a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. NY1 and Fox Sports both listed the next game on the schedule after the overtime opener. (nba.com) Madison Square Garden will host the immediate follow-up, and Cleveland enters it after scoring only three points in overtime of Game 1. The next measurable step in the series is whether the Cavaliers can respond before it shifts away from New York. (nba.com) (ny1.com) (amny.com)