Knicks erase 22-point deficit, stun Cavaliers in OT; Mitchell says Cleveland ‘blew it’
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The Cleveland Cavaliers left Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night questioning how a 22-point fourth-quarter cushion vanished in a 115-104 overtime loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“We lost, we (expletive) blew it,” guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters after the collapse.
Historic comeback
According to ESPN Stats & Info, NBA teams had gone 3-747 over the past 30 seasons when trailing by at least 20 points in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. New York became just the fourth club to complete that climb, registering the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback of the play-by-play era.
The Knicks closed regulation on a 30-8 surge, then controlled overtime as Cleveland’s offense stalled and its defense unraveled.
Cleveland miscues pile up
The Cavaliers committed enough mistakes to extend an uncomfortable postseason trend, surrendering 28 points off turnovers—the sixth time this postseason they have allowed at least 25, the highest total by any playoff team in the past three decades.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged the defensive breakdowns. “We weren’t great defensively in the fourth quarter,” he said. “The ball stuck a little bit too much.” Moments earlier he summed up the reversal: “We got a little unlucky—they dominated us in the 4th quarter.”
Harden struggles, but keeps trust
James Harden finished with six turnovers and just five made baskets, marking the 32nd postseason game in which he has recorded more turnovers than field goals. Atkinson, however, declined to sit the veteran guard late, calling him “one of our best defenders in these playoffs.”
The coach also defended the decision to hold timeouts as New York’s rally gathered steam. “I like to hold my timeouts,” he said. “I try to hold them.”
Shamet sparks the Knicks
Knicks head coach Mike Brown credited reserve guard Landry Shamet for shifting momentum “on both ends of the floor,” labeling him “the difference in the ballgame.”
Mitchell tried to keep perspective after the defeat. “It’s one game,” he noted. “We could have lost by 40. Still would have been 1-0.”
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Source: Hoops Wire
