East Finals: Knicks overcome 22-point deficit in 4th quarter, beat Cavs in OT in Game 1
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after his three-pointer in the 4th quarter during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/Jr.
For a stretch dating nearly a month ago it had all seemed so easy for the Knicks, carrying a seven-game winning streak into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and having spent what seemed nearly as long on hiatus, waiting for an opponent and a chance to take the court again.
Maybe in the back of their minds they knew that it wouldn’t always look like that, the wins wouldn’t always come so easily and the talk wouldn’t seem so secure. But it’s hard to imagine that even in the darkest recesses of their minds that they believed the return to reality would look like this, trailing by 22 points with less than eight minutes to play.
But then, as has happened so many times over the last four years, Jalen Brunson appeared. With their captain scoring 15 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, the Knicks fought back from a performance that had been lifeless to that point, forcing overtime and then taking control for a 115-104 win in front of 19,812 disbelieving fans at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks completed the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1997).
Once the Knicks got to overtime they never lost control, pulling away as the Cavs showed the effects of the quick turnaround from a pair of grueling seven-game series and the Knicks displayed the dominant play that had brought them to this night.
Consider this: the Knicks outscored the Cavs, 30-8 over the final 7:39 of regulation and then adding a 9-0 run to start the overtime session. While it took them much of the night to get there, for a 10-minute stretch the Knicks looked exactly as they did in the seven straight wins, just dominating on both ends of the floor.
“It has more to do with having an edge, keeping a competitive edge,” Mike Brown said before the game. “Games obviously help you with that because your body and your body and mind are constantly on when you are playing games. When they are off, you tend to relax. That is just human nature. And so, hopefully, you can go out and hit first and not have it impact us.
“There were positives in both. They played two seven game series, so they’ve logged a lot of minutes. We haven’t played in 10 days, so that competitive edge – knock on wood – may not be there to start. Which is better, I don't know. Is it going to impact us? Is it going to impact them? I don’t know. We have to go out there and play.”
Leading a furious rally, scoring 11 consecutive points during an 18-1 run, Brunson lifted the Knicks back into the game and when Landry Shamet bounced in a corner three-pointer the Knicks had come all the way back, pulling even with 44.3 seconds remaining in regulation. James Harden, who had been victimized repeatedly by Brunson on the other end, gave Cleveland back the lead momentarily, but Brunson delivered again with 19.3 seconds remaining and the Knicks survived a Sam Merrill three-point attempt that spun out in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime it was never in doubt as the Knicks built the lead and the Cavs looked like they were just trying to reach the finish line.
Down 93-71, the comeback began innocently enough with a Brunson six-footer with 7:39 to play. While it might have seemed like a time to pull the plug on this game, instead, it ignited an 18-1 run that cut the gap to five. Back to back threes by Mikal Bridges brought the Knicks within three and set the stage for Shamet’s game-tying shot. In the run, Brunson, time after time, attacked Harden, easily shedding him for basket after basket.
The troubles that the Knicks had during the regular season — slow starts to games — surfaced on this night even with the spotlight of the conference finals as they looked lost in the opening minutes. And after they seemed to find their footing, they lost the fight that they spoke for a week about needing to bring to this first game.
The Knicks were not just outscored in the third quarter, a two-point halftime deficit turning into a 14-point hole entering the fourth quarter, but they were out hustled and outsmarted. On one possession, Mitchell ripped the ball out of the hands of Mikal Bridges near midcourt and coasted in for a fast-break layup. But that was hardly the only play as the Knicks struggled on both ends of the floor, drawing boos from the home crowd and even the ire of Brunson, who stood up in a huddle with 7:08 left in the quarter and appeared to animatedly — angrily — address his teammates.
But if the rust versus rest question was going to be answered, down the stretch it seemed as if the Knicks were refreshed while the Cavs were a shadow of the team that had built the lead.
“We know they have a massive rest advantage and we know they’re massively favored in this series,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said before the game. “But I’d say from our perspective, we’re going to try to halt their momentum. It starts tonight. They’re playing great basketball. So find a way to stall their momentum a little bit. The beginning of this game, the first five, six minutes, are going to be important.”
The Knicks started sluggish, missing seven of their first nine shots — including all five attempts beyond the arc — and trailed 10-4 5:18 into the game as they started off with the same strategy that they had utilized against Atlanta and Philadelphia, putting the ball in Towns’ hands outside the three-point line and letting him try to orchestrate the offense. But even with a short turnaround, Cleveland was ready for it and better equipped with Evan Mobley tightly guarding him while the other Cavs crowded the passing lanes.
The Knicks shot just 2-for-19 from three in the first half and trailed by two at the break.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
