The New York Knicks are no strangers to playing with plenty of momentum during the NBA playoffs. Nor are the Cleveland Cavaliers unfamiliar with climbing back from discouraging losses.
But Game 1 of their Eastern Conference finals series on Tuesday might have provided the Knicks with their most momentum yet and presented the Cavaliers their biggest challenge.
The host Knicks will aim to take a 2-0 series lead as the Cavaliers will look to bounce back from a stunning defeat in Game 2 of the best-of-seven set on Thursday.
The Knicks won Game 1 in historic fashion, overcoming a 22-point deficit in the final 7:52 of regulation and never trailing in overtime on their way to a 115-104 victory.
The victory was the eighth straight for the Knicks, who won their previous seven games by an average of 26.4 points before mounting the second-biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.
The Los Angeles Clippers trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by 24 before earning a 99-98 win in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round series in 2012.
On Tuesday, the Knicks squandered an 11-point second-quarter lead and were outscored 66-33 over a span of 21-plus minutes between the second and fourth quarters. But Jalen Brunson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as New York ended regulation on a 30-8 run before OG Anunoby scored nine points in overtime.
“They were playing great basketball, had us on our heels, give them a lot of credit — obviously we played well in the fourth and overtime,” Brunson said. “It was the middle, second and third quarter, where we let go of the rope. So that’s our biggest takeaway.”
That plus the fact that the series isn’t over just because of a resounding Game 1 victory. In 2012, the Clippers had to go the distance to eliminate the Grizzlies, who forced a decisive Game 7 after falling behind 3-1.
“They’re going to come out with extreme energy, attention to detail, focus, sense of urgency and desperation,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “They’re looking at it like that was our game that we gave away.”
The loss was the seventh of the postseason for the Cavaliers, who needed the full seven games to eliminate the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the second round.
“We’ve had some tough ones, but it’s one loss,” said Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who scored 29 points but just three during the Knicks’ fourth-quarter surge. “It’s not like that loss gives them two or three games. It’s one. So we have an opportunity to come back here in two days and steal one here.”
Cleveland squandered a 2-0 series lead against the Raptors, who forced Game 7 when RJ Barrett hit a 29-footer that bounced high above the rim and through the net to give Toronto a 112-110 win.
The Cavaliers trailed the Pistons 2-0 in the second round, then won three straight before missing a chance to close out the series at home last Friday, when Detroit rolled to a 115-94 victory. However, Cleveland responded with a 125-94 road rout in Sunday’s Game 7.
“Just understanding that we didn’t have the best effort (Tuesday) night, we didn’t have the best outcome,” Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen said. “And the resiliency is going to show (Thursday in) how we come out.”
