The New York Knicks walked into Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night looking visibly rusty after sweeping the 76ers, but they woke up just in time to pull off a 115-104 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland built a commanding lead behind Donovan Mitchell’s 29 points, capitalizing on a Knicks offense that shot a dismal 4-for-23 from three-point range through the first three quarters. The Cavaliers looked ready to steal home-court advantage until New York flipped the script in the final eight minutes of regulation.
Trailing 93-71 with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks engineered an aggressive 44-11 run to close out the game. Jalen Brunson took total control, dropping 15 of his 38 total points in the fourth quarter alone to force overtime at 101-101. The rally goes down as the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in the last 30 years of NBA playoff history, trailing only the historic 24-point deficit erased by the LA Clippers in 2012. Mikal Bridges provided critical support with 18 points, helping New York outscore Cleveland 18-1 in the closing minutes of regulation before launching a 9-0 run to open the extra period.
The momentum shift exposed severe defensive vulnerabilities in the Cavaliers’ backcourt, specifically targeting 36-year-old James Harden. The veteran guard struggled heavily, shooting 5-of-16 from the floor and committing six turnovers. New York actively isolated him on defense down the stretch. Knicks head coach Mike Brown openly acknowledged the late-game strategy, telling reporters, “There is no secret: We were attacking Harden.” Mitchell quickly defended his teammate amid the collapse, telling the Associated Press, “Ultimately, this isn’t on him – it’s on all of us.”
The victory pushes the Knicks just three wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Game 2 is set for Thursday night in New York.