The New York Knicks outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime, after rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 38 points and sparked one of the NBA’s greatest postseason comebacks. Mikal Bridges added 18 points.
The Knicks were going nowhere for 40 minutes against the Cavs, trailing 93-71 with 7:52 to play.
Brunson kept on attacking to spark an 18-1 run that made it a ballgame, and he tied it at 101-all on a basket with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.
New York opened overtime with a 9-0 run as a delirious crowd in Madison Square Garden danced and screamed in the aisles. The Knicks moved within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
OG Anunoby came on late after struggling most of the way in his return after missing two games with a strained right hamstring.
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29 points, who seemed well on their way to a third straight road win before their late collapse.
Evan Mobley tallied 15 points and 14 rebounds, while James Harden also scored 15 points, but was just 1 for 8 on 3-pointers and had more turnovers (six) than field goals (five).
The Knicks outscored them 44-11 after their 93-71 lead, and were 4 for 23 on triple through three quarters, and then had a horrible start in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the only bigger fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the last 30 years was when the Clippers rallied from 24 down to beat Memphis in Game 1 in 2012.
The Knicks won their eighth straight game and will host Game 2 on Thursday.
