NEW YORK. The New York Knicks orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks in recent NBA playoff history, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Jalen Brunson led the New York rally with 38 points in a wild night at Madison Square Garden.
Mike Brown's team trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter and appeared completely out of the game, but responded with a brutal final run to secure their eighth consecutive playoff victory and move within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
The New York Knicks' comeback now ranks directly among the most significant comebacks in recent NBA playoff history. Only one larger fourth-quarter recovery has occurred in the playoffs over the last 30 years.
For more than three quarters, the Cleveland Cavaliers completely dominated the game. Kenny Atkinson's team punished the Knicks' poor three-point shooting and controlled the offensive pace with great authority.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 29 points, while Evan Mobley contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds in another solid performance. James Harden also finished with 15 points, though he struggled significantly from beyond the arc, shooting just 1 of 8 from three-point range and adding six turnovers.
The New York Knicks, by contrast, appeared completely stalled offensively after several days without competition. The New York team started cold and entered the fourth quarter having made just 4 of 23 three-pointers.
The situation worsened when Cleveland reached a 93-71 advantage with 7:52 remaining. Madison Square Garden was completely silent and the Cavaliers appeared to be sending a serious message at the start of the series.
Then Jalen Brunson appeared.
https://youtu.be/J1FOSTytuN0?si=DUWbi3uALJ9lmfwp
The Knicks' star began constantly attacking James Harden in one-on-one situations and completely changed the emotional rhythm of the game. New York finally found offensive fluidity and strung together a devastating 18-1 run that brought the game back to life.
Brunson consistently punished opponents from mid-range and created constant advantages for his teammates. Mikal Bridges added 18 points and was again fundamental on both sides of the floor, while OG Anunoby emerged in the decisive stretch after an inconsistent night in his return from a two-game absence due to a muscle injury.
The Canadian wing finished as one of three New York players with 13 points and helped tremendously defensively during the game's closing moments.
Cleveland still held the lead in the final seconds of regulation, but Brunson appeared again with a penetration with 19 seconds remaining to tie the game at 101 and complete a comeback that seemed impossible just minutes earlier.
Overtime was completely dominated by the Knicks.
New York opened the extra period with a 9-0 run while Madison Square Garden finally exploded. The Cleveland Cavaliers could not recover mentally from the fourth-quarter collapse and were completely overwhelmed by the home crowd's energy.
The Knicks closed out the game with an impressive cumulative 44-11 run from when they trailed 93-71.
The victory allows New York to maintain its spectacular competitive form after previously dominating the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers. Mike Brown's team continues to grow offensively and defensively and again transmits the feeling of a legitimate NBA championship contender.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers let slip a huge opportunity after controlling the game for practically 40 minutes and will need to respond quickly to avoid returning to Ohio with a dangerous 0-2 series deficit.
Game 2 will be played Thursday again at Madison Square Garden.