Greatest Comeback in Knicks History! New York Shocks Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Playoffs — Horror Night for Dennis Schröder and James Harden

The Knicks trailed by as much as 22 points in the fourth quarter before staging an unbelievable rally. Superstar Jalen Brunson was unstoppable in Game 1.

This has never happened before in the long history of the NBA! After the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs battled in an epic double-overtime war the night before, Game 1 between the Knicks and the Cavs also went into overtime. For the first time, neither of the opening Conference Finals matches was decided in regulation.

The Cavaliers have an incredible collapse to ‘thank’ for the fact that this even happened at Madison Square Garden.

New York Knicks (E3) — Cleveland Cavaliers (E4) 115:104 OT — Series: 1-0

With just 7:52 remaining, James Harden walked to the free-throw line and converted his first attempt to make it 93-71. ‘The Beard’ missed the second attempt, and suddenly the Knicks caught fire while the Cavaliers completely collapsed.

Jalen Brunson attacked Harden again and again, and an 18-1 run by the home team brought New York within striking distance. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson called a timeout, and Evan Mobley followed it up with a crucial long-range shot to make it 97-89 with three minutes left. However, the Knicks had tasted blood and refused to give up. With only 45 seconds left on the clock, Landry Shamet hit a lucky three-pointer to tie the game at 99-99.

Harden guarded Brunson one-on-one and scored from mid-range for the Cavs. Brunson guarded Harden on the other end and immediately tied the game again with a floater. The final shot of regulation belonged to Sam Merrill. The three-pointer looked good, Mike Breen already had the legendary ‘Bang’ on his lips – but the ball rimmed out. Overtime.

44:11 Closing Run: Knicks Can’t Explain Their Own Incredible Run

The overtime, however, was merely a continuation of the previous events in this thriller. The Knicks got on a roll and started with a 9-0 run. The Cavs couldn’t come back, conceding a massive 44-11 run to close out the game since their huge lead in the fourth quarter.

It was the greatest playoff comeback in Knicks history. Only the Memphis Grizzlies, against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012, have ever come back from a more hopeless deficit (-24) since the Play-by-Play era began (1996/1997). Brunson had ‘no answer’ when asked how the comeback was possible. Cavs coach Atkinson had an explanation: ‘We played great basketball for three quarters. Unfortunately, the fourth quarter came, and they dominated us.’

During the late run, the Knicks made 15 of their 20 shots, while the Cavs went 4 of 18. Brunson alone scored 17 points (8/10 FG), while Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined for only 3 points (1/10 FG).

Brunson Outstanding — Schröder and Harden Hardly Make a Shot

With a total of 38 points (15/29 FG, 1/6 3FG, 7/10 FT), Brunson finished the game as the man of the match. The second-leading scorer for the Knicks was Mikal Bridges with 18 points. The other starters, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns, all scored 13 points. Together, they only made three of 16 three-point attempts. Towns recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds, but KAT also committed 7 turnovers. Anunoby had a tough time in his return from a thigh injury, but he repeatedly found his way to the line in overtime (9 PTS, 7/8 FT).

From the bench, Landry Shamet provided crucial shooting for coach Mike Brown’s team (9 PTS, 3/3 3FG). Mitchell Robinson grabbed 4 offensive rebounds in his fifteen minutes of play but once again struggled at the free-throw line (2/8 FT). His German backup, Ariel Hukporti, did not play.

DBB captain Dennis Schröder, meanwhile, had a horror night for the Cavs. In about 18 minutes of play, the World and European champion did a decent job as a playmaker (5 AST, 0 TO) but had little shooting luck (3 PTS, 1/9 FG, 1/4 3FG).

James Harden was not far behind with similar shooting percentages (15 PTS, 5/16 FG, 1/8 3FG). He also had significant turnover problems again, giving the ball away six times. The Knicks capitalized, scoring 28 points off the Cavs’ 19 total turnovers.

Harden’s backcourt partner, Mitchell, only committed 4 turnovers. With 29 points, ‘Spida’ was by far his team’s top scorer. Mobley secured a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, Merrill had 12 points, and Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen each scored 10.

‘We could have lost by 40 points, and it would still have been 0-1,’ Mitchell tried to find the positive despite the catastrophic collapse. ‘We will make adjustments and then move on.’

These adjustments can be observed in Game 2 as early as Friday night.

NBA: Schedule of the Series Between the Knicks and the Cavaliers

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