Knicks rally from 22 down in OT

Jalen Brunson turned a game that looked finished into a series opener Cleveland let slip away. New York beat the Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden after trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter, with Brunson scoring 38 points and leading the push that erased a 93-71 deficit. The Knicks closed regulation and overtime on a 44-11 run, according to NBA.com, and took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. AP reported it was one of the largest postseason comebacks in league history and the first time both conference finals opened with overtime games. ### How big was the hole New York climbed out of? The Cavaliers led 93-71 with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Knicks flipped the game. NBA.com said Cleveland shot 22% the rest of the way as New York forced overtime and then opened the extra period with a 9-0 burst. (mininggazette.com) The 22-point deficit mattered because the Knicks had shown little for most of the night. AP said New York had been “going nowhere for 40 minutes” and was still misfiring after a long layoff since May 10, when it completed its second-round sweep of Philadelphia. (mininggazette.com) ### What did Brunson actually do late? Brunson scored 17 points across the fourth quarter and overtime, according to NBA.com, and repeatedly attacked Cleveland down the stretch. AP said he tied the score at 101-101 on a basket with 19 seconds left in regulation after helping trigger an 18-1 run. (mininggazette.com) Brunson described the approach as incremental rather than frantic. “Just keep fighting,” he said, according to AP. “Keep chipping away. We’re not going to get it back in one possession.” NBA.com separately quoted him saying: “Find a way. We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.” (mininggazette.com) ### Where did Cleveland lose control? Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for Cleveland, but AP said his last basket came with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter. From there, the Cavaliers’ offense stalled while New York’s defense tightened. (mininggazette.com) Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland’s coach, said the collapse was concentrated in one stretch rather than spread across the night. “We played great basketball tonight for three quarters,” Atkinson said, according to AP. “Unfortunately, the fourth quarter — they dominated us in the fourth quarter.” (mininggazette.com) ### Who else mattered besides Brunson? OG Anunoby returned after missing two games with a strained right hamstring and scored 13 points for New York, AP said. Mikal Bridges added 18 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns said the Knicks’ defense “showed up in the fourth quarter and in overtime.” (mininggazette.com) Evan Mobley finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for Cleveland, according to NBA.com. But the game’s late possession battle tilted toward New York as the Knicks turned stops into transition chances and extra possessions. (mininggazette.com) ### Why did this opener stand out beyond one game? NBA.com said this was the first time in league history that both Game 1s of the conference finals went to overtime. The Eastern opener followed San Antonio’s double-overtime win over Oklahoma City in the West. (nba.com) The Knicks also extended their winning streak to eight games and moved within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, AP said. ### What happens next in the series? (nba.com) Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in New York, according to NBA.com. The Knicks will try to take a 2-0 series lead, while Cleveland will look to reset after losing a game it led by 22 in the final eight minutes. (nba.com) (mininggazette.com)