The New York Knicks shocked the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19, 2026, by rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals 115-104 in overtime [1, 2].
Trailing 71-93 with about seven minutes remaining, the Knicks mounted a 30-8 run to force overtime and ultimately secure the victory [1, 3, 2]. Jalen Brunson led the comeback with a game-high 38 points and six assists, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter alone [1, 2, 4]. Brunson’s performance drew praise, with commentator Stephen A. Smith saying he “should be arrested” for how he dominated James Harden on offense [4]. Magic Johnson added Brunson showed the “talent to lead the Knicks to a championship” [4].
Other key contributors were Mikal Bridges (18 points), Josh Hart (13 points), Karl-Anthony Towns with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, and OG Anunoby with 13 points [1, 5, 3, 2].
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29 points and a career-high six steals but was limited to just three points in the fourth quarter and overtime [1, 6, 7]. He acknowledged the collapse in a postgame quote: “This shouldn’t have happened, but it did. We play again in two days. We can’t let this game kill our momentum. This is not a moral victory” [6].
James Harden struggled with just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting and six turnovers, drawing sharp criticism for his defense during the comeback. Analyst Channing Frye said Harden should have been benched, saying “If I were the coach, he’d be on the bench until he learns to defend” [8].
With 7:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers led 93-71 and held a 99.9% win probability according to ESPN data [9, 10]. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert remained optimistic despite the loss, telling fans “this is just one game,” and urging them to focus on Game 2 [9]. However, fans criticized head coach Kenny Atkinson’s leadership [9].
Two days later on May 21, the Knicks continued their momentum with a 109-93 win in Game 2, highlighted by an 18-0 run in the third quarter, taking a 2-0 series lead [7, 11, 12].
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled next, with the Cavaliers seeking to recover from their back-to-back losses.
