New York Knicks win Game 1 overtime

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, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. New York trailed 93-71 with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter before closing regulation and overtime on a 44-11 run, according to NBA.com and the Associated Press. Jalen Brunson finished with 38 points, six assists and three steals, while Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 29 points. The result moved the Knicks within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. ### How large was the comeback, and when did the game turn? The Knicks were down 22 points in the fourth quarter before the rally began. NBA.com said New York trailed 93-71 with 7:52 remaining, then outscored Cleveland 44-11 the rest of the way, including overtime. Jalen Brunson drove the comeback by repeatedly attacking the Cavaliers late in regulation. The Associated Press game recap on NBA.com said Brunson tied the score at 101-101 on a basket with 19 seconds left, and New York then opened overtime on a 9-0 run. (nba.com) ### What did Brunson and Mitchell actually produce? Brunson’s 38 points led all scorers for New York, and NBA.com said 17 of those came in the fourth quarter and overtime. (nba.com) He added five rebounds, six assists and three steals in the win. Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for Cleveland, while Evan Mobley added 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. (nba.com) USA Today’s box score also listed Karl-Anthony Towns with 13 rebounds for New York and Mikal Bridges with 18 points. ### What did Cleveland say after letting the lead go? Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said Cleveland had controlled most of the night before the collapse. “We played great basketball tonight for three quarters. (nba.com) Unfortunately, the fourth quarter - they dominated us in the fourth quarter,” Atkinson said, according to the Associated Press recap carried on NBA.com. (nba.com) NBA.com said Cleveland shot 22% after building the 22-point lead. Mitchell’s last field goal came with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, according to the league’s live recap. ### Which supporting Knicks mattered once the game flipped? Mikal Bridges scored 18 points for New York, and three Knicks finished with 13 points, including OG Anunoby, according to the Associated Press recap. (nba.com) The report said Anunoby returned after missing two games with a strained right hamstring. Landry Shamet hit a late 3-pointer in overtime that pushed the Knicks ahead 110-101 with 1:49 left, NBA.com said. (nba.com) The league recap quoted Brunson summing up the rally in two words: “Find a way.” Brunson added, “We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.” ### How unusual was this finish in playoff history? (nba.com) The Knicks’ rally ranked among the largest postseason comebacks on record. The Associated Press described it as one of the NBA’s greatest postseason comebacks, and Yahoo said it was the largest comeback playoff win in Knicks franchise history and the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the play-by-play era. That historical framing is from those outlets, not an NBA statistical release cited here. (nba.com) NBA.com also said this was the first time in league history that both Game 1s of the conference finals went to overtime. ### What comes next in the series? Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden, according to NBA.com. Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 23, in Cleveland, with Game 4 on Monday, May 25. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)