Knicks, Cavaliers go to overtime May 19

The New York Knicks opened the Eastern Conference finals with a 115-104 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. New York trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter before rallying behind Jalen Brunson, who finished with 38 points and six assists. Cleveland had the game in hand late before the Knicks forced overtime and then pulled away, giving New York a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The NBA's game summary listed Game 2 for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET. ### How big was the Knicks' comeback? New York erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit, according to Yahoo Sports' game report, before finishing on a 44-11 run to close the game. The Knicks were down deep into the second half after Cleveland pushed its lead to 16 in the third quarter and then to 22 in the fourth. (nba.com) The final margin ended up at 11 points because the Knicks controlled overtime after finally catching Cleveland at the end of regulation. NBA.com listed the final as 115-104 and showed New York taking a 1-0 series lead. ### What did Brunson and Mitchell do? Jalen Brunson led New York with 38 points and six assists, and NBA.com's highlight listing credited him with 36 points in its featured clip from the game. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports said Brunson shot 15-of-29 from the field and drove the fourth-quarter comeback almost by himself. (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell was central to Cleveland's surge before the collapse. Yahoo Sports said Mitchell hit a 3-pointer that stretched the Cavaliers' lead to 22 in the fourth quarter, a moment that appeared to put Cleveland in command. NBA.com's preview of the series had already framed Brunson and Mitchell as the two lead guards whose matchup would define the East finals. (sports.yahoo.com) ### How did the game get away from Cleveland? Cleveland recovered from a shaky first half in which Yahoo Sports said it committed 11 turnovers in the opening 24 minutes. The Cavaliers still went into halftime ahead by two points, then scored 35 points in the third quarter to seize control. (sports.yahoo.com) The Knicks' shooting was uneven for long stretches. Yahoo Sports said New York went 2-of-19 from 3-point range in the first half and made only six field goals in the third quarter. Even so, the Cavaliers stalled late, and New York's late push turned a road-style steal attempt by Cleveland into a loss. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Why was this matchup drawing so much attention? The NBA's series preview said Brunson and Mitchell have been linked since the summer of 2022, when New York signed Brunson and tried to trade for Mitchell before Mitchell landed in Cleveland. That history carried into a conference finals matchup between two teams seeking a return to the NBA Finals after long absences. (sports.yahoo.com) The Knicks had entered the series after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and winning seven straight playoff games, while Cleveland arrived after beating Detroit in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Those paths set up a matchup between the East's third-seeded Knicks and fourth-seeded Cavaliers. ### What happens next in the series? (nba.com) Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET, according to NBA.com. The same game page listed the remaining series dates through a potential Game 7 on May 31. New York will take its 1-0 lead into the second game, with Brunson and Mitchell again at the center of the matchup after combining to shape the opening result at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com)