New York Knicks pull off one of NBA’s wildest comebacks to beat Cavaliers

What a way to flip a game on its head. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals delivered a staggering comeback at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks beat the Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime after one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the postseason.

This was the kind of game that can shape a series immediately. New York took the opening point, but only after surviving a collapse that saw them fall behind by 22 points in the fourth quarter before storming all the way back.

The game was tied 101-101 at the end of regulation, before the Knicks completely took over in overtime, where Cleveland managed just three points.

A comeback that will be remembered for years

At one stage late in the fourth quarter, with 7:52 remaining, the Cavaliers led 93-71. From there, everything changed.

New York produced one of the most extraordinary late-game swings seen in recent NBA history, erasing a 22-point deficit in a playoff game. Looking at the past 30 seasons, across 595 games, only one comeback has been larger: the Clippers coming back from 24 points down against the Grizzlies in 2012.

The Knicks’ turnaround felt almost surreal in real time, building momentum possession by possession until Cleveland simply collapsed under the pressure.

Rest, rhythm, and a shifting game

The Knicks entered the series coming off a long rest period, possibly too long when compared to Cleveland’s intense playoff rhythm. The Cavaliers had just come through two seven-game series to reach the conference finals.

That difference showed at various points throughout the game, both in execution and energy, in a Madison Square Garden night that once again produced playoff history.

Jalen Brunson leads the charge

Jalen Brunson delivered the defining performance of the night, finishing with 38 points on 15-of-29 shooting. He also added six assists and five rebounds while playing 46 minutes.

Brunson’s consistency anchored the comeback when everything else was chaotic.

Mikal Bridges contributed 18 points, while Landry Shamet provided a major spark off the bench with nine points and a game-changing +25 plus-minus during his minutes on the floor.

OG Anunoby, relatively quiet for long stretches, added nine points that proved valuable during the late surge.

Cleveland controls most of the night before unraveling

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29 points, but Cleveland could not hold off New York’s late surge.

For most of the game, Kenny Atkinson’s team played composed, disciplined basketball. They steadily built their advantage and punished the Knicks’ poor shot selection, especially early in the second half when New York leaned heavily on outside shooting and lost rhythm.

The Cavaliers outscored the Knicks 67-40 across the second and third quarters combined, building what looked like a commanding lead.

Sam Merrill (12 points) and Dean Wade (10 points) both hit key three-pointers during that stretch, helping support Mitchell and creating what looked like a comfortable cushion.

But in the fourth quarter, Cleveland’s structure fell apart.

The Knicks find life from deep and shift the momentum

With the game slipping away, New York completely changed its outside shooting fortunes.

After struggling badly from three earlier, the Knicks flipped the script during the comeback, going from 4-of-23 to 6-of-9 during the decisive stretch.

That shift powered massive runs of 18-1 and 44-11, overwhelming Cleveland on both ends of the floor.

Shamet hit a crucial three-pointer that bounced off the rim and backboard before dropping in to tie the game at 99-99.

Brunson then answered a response from James Harden to make it 101-101.

From there, New York closed regulation on a 9-0 run that completely broke Cleveland’s resistance.

Overtime belongs entirely to New York

Once overtime arrived, the Knicks never looked back. Cleveland’s offense stalled completely, managing just three points in the extra period.

New York controlled every possession, riding the momentum of the comeback and the energy inside Madison Square Garden to close out a 115-104 victory.

A collapse that will define the series opening

Cleveland had played nearly 40 minutes of structured basketball and looked in full control for long stretches, but the final quarter and overtime told a completely different story.

The Cavaliers’ late breakdown turned what should have been a statement win into a painful opening loss, while the Knicks walked away with one of the most memorable playoff comebacks in recent memory.

Madison Square Garden, once again, witnessed history.

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New York Knicks

Stats

5 Jose Alvarado
8 OG Anunoby
25 Mikal Bridges
11 Jalen Brunson
0 Jordan Clarkson
4 Pacôme Dadiet
51 Mohamed Diawara
3 Josh Hart
55 Ariel Hukporti
13 Tyler Kolek
2 Miles McBride
23 Mitchell Robinson
44 Landry Shamet
20 Jeremy Sochan
32 Karl-Anthony Towns

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
5 Jose Alvarado	6	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	2/2	0/1	0	0
8 OG Anunoby	34	13	5	0	5	2	1	1	0	8/10	1/3	1/6	0	3
25 Mikal Bridges	42	18	5	0	5	1	3	2	0	2/2	5/7	2/4	0	3
11 Jalen Brunson	46	38	5	0	5	6	3	3	0	7/10	14/23	1/6	0	5
0 Jordan Clarkson	16	3	2	0	2	0	1	0	1	0/0	0/2	1/1	0	2
4 Pacôme Dadiet	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
51 Mohamed Diawara	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
3 Josh Hart	30	13	7	0	7	4	2	1	0	2/2	4/6	1/5	0	3
55 Ariel Hukporti	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
13 Tyler Kolek	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
2 Miles McBride	16	0	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	5
23 Mitchell Robinson	14	4	6	4	2	1	0	2	0	2/8	1/3	0/0	0	1
44 Landry Shamet	17	9	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	3/3	0	0
20 Jeremy Sochan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
32 Karl-Anthony Towns	40	13	13	4	9	5	7	1	1	0/0	5/9	1/5	0	4

Cleveland Cavaliers

Stats

31 Jarrett Allen
3 Thomas Bryant
14 Keon Ellis
1 James Harden
5 Sam Merrill
45 Donovan Mitchell
4 Evan Mobley
22 Larry Nance Jr.
9 Craig Porter Jr.
24 Tyrese Proctor
8 Dennis Schröder
2 Max Strus
35 Nae'Qwan Tomlin
20 Jaylon Tyson
32 Dean Wade

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
31 Jarrett Allen	35	10	7	6	1	3	1	1	1	4/8	3/6	0/0	0	3
3 Thomas Bryant	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
14 Keon Ellis	5	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	1
1 James Harden	42	15	4	1	3	3	6	1	1	4/6	4/8	1/8	0	5
5 Sam Merrill	28	12	1	0	1	2	0	1	0	1/1	1/1	3/8	0	5
45 Donovan Mitchell	40	29	5	0	5	3	4	6	1	1/1	8/12	4/11	0	5
4 Evan Mobley	40	15	14	1	13	3	3	0	3	1/2	4/8	2/8	0	2
22 Larry Nance Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
9 Craig Porter Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
24 Tyrese Proctor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
8 Dennis Schröder	18	3	0	0	0	5	0	1	0	0/0	0/5	1/4	0	3
2 Max Strus	25	8	2	1	1	1	3	1	0	2/2	0/0	2/6	0	5
35 Nae'Qwan Tomlin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
20 Jaylon Tyson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
32 Dean Wade	29	10	5	2	3	3	0	0	0	1/1	0/0	3/5	0	0