Knicks rally against Cavaliers in another explosive start to conference finals
The hosts rallied after being down 22 points (93-71) with less than eight minutes to play fueled by their usual savior, Jalen Brunson, who scored 38 points.
A Knicks fan
With one of the greatest comebacks in the NBA playoffs, the New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime Tuesday in the Eastern Conference finals opener.
The hosts rallied after falling behind by 22 points (93-71) with less than eight minutes to play fueled by their usual savior, Jalen Brunson, who poured in 38 points.
The win completed an iconic start to these North American Basketball League semifinals.
On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs also beat the Oklahoma City Thunder as visitors after double overtime in a thrilling West opener.
It was the first time in history that the two games that opened the conference finals were decided in overtime.
The 22 points the Knicks raised is also the second-largest comeback in a playoff final quarter since such statistics began to be recorded three decades earlier.
Although the Cavaliers gave up the tying basket with 19 seconds left, they still had a chance to steal the win, but Sam Merrill’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer rattled out.
The home team capitalized on the second chance and sealed the win by scoring the first nine points of overtime.
The guard, who finished with 29 points and a career-high six steals, had been the game’s standout performer until Brunson took over.
The night was especially magical for the Madison Square Garden crowd, which has been waiting since 1999 to see its team in the NBA Finals again.
Nearly 20,000 fans filled the iconic venue with the front row packed with celebrities like musician Lenny Kravitz and actors Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller.
A loss to the Cavaliers would have been a major blow to the Knicks who entered this series as favorites after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0.
The New Yorkers were also coming in with a week more rest than Cleveland, which eliminated the Detroit Pistons, the East's top seed, just 48 hours ago.
Even so, it was the visitors who controlled most of the game behind Mitchell, who always seems to elevate his play whenever he returns to his hometown of New York.
Cleveland dominated
Cleveland was dominating 93-71 with 7.52 to go when they went into short order.
James Harden, erratic on offense all game, became a liability on defense to the point where the Knicks looked for him on every possession of the comeback.
The Beard, 36, managed just 15 points and, for the sixth time this postseason, finished with more turnovers (6) than made field goals (5).
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