NEW YORK (AP) — You could label it an incredible rally. Or you could call it a complete meltdown.
The opening game of the Eastern Conference finals featured elements of both scenarios. New York’s dramatic surge wouldn’t have been possible without Cleveland’s stunning collapse.
Cleveland held a commanding 93-71 advantage with less than eight minutes remaining before New York dominated the final stretch, outscoring their opponents 44-11 to secure a 115-104 overtime victory. Among playoff games over the past three decades, only the Clippers’ 24-point rally against Memphis in 2012’s opening game represents a larger fourth-quarter turnaround.
“We should’ve won the game,” Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell said. “We didn’t.”
Here’s an examination of what went wrong for Cleveland.
Though it seemed unthinkable moments later, James Harden executed solid defense against a then-struggling Jalen Brunson while Cleveland maintained a 20-point cushion with 7:04 left on the clock. Harden successfully blocked Brunson’s driving attempt, though Karl-Anthony Towns secured the loose ball to keep the play alive and found Landry Shamet open for a three-pointer. Following a Cleveland turnover, New York called timeout with 6:41 remaining. Despite the score still reading 93-76, the Knicks appeared energized for the first time in quite a while as Shamet encouraged his teammates with enthusiastic gestures.
“If you’re going to make a run, that’s when you’ve got to do it. So might as well throw your best punch at that point and try to do what you can,” Shamet said.
“You’ve got to leave it all out there especially at this time of the year and that’s what we did. We had a group that didn’t flinch at that deficit and made some effort.”
New York’s strategy during the following minutes centered on fundamental basketball principles. When Brunson advanced the ball upcourt, whichever player Harden was defending — typically either Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby — would establish a screen against Brunson’s defender, forcing Harden to switch onto Brunson. Brunson then exploited this matchup by driving against Harden, creating opportunities for the floaters and bank shots that helped establish his All-Star reputation.
This approach yielded four consecutive New York baskets for Brunson, culminating in a three-pointer that narrowed the gap to 94-89 with 3½ minutes left.
Just before Brunson attempted that crucial three-pointer, ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson suggested Cleveland might benefit from a timeout if New York scored.
However, was the opportunity already lost? Cleveland witnessed multiple possessions where New York repeatedly executed the same strategy and could have stopped play earlier to implement defensive adjustments that might have altered the outcome.
“I like to hold my timeouts,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson explained afterward. “I didn’t want to get one timeout at the end of the game, a one- or two-point game. I try to hold them.”
Cleveland might have avoided overtime entirely with better fortune on two three-point attempts.
Mitchell attempted one with 3:47 remaining that rolled around the rim before falling out. Success there would have pushed Cleveland’s lead to 11 points. Instead, Brunson connected on his three-pointer just 17 seconds later, cutting the deficit to 94-89.
Later, after Shamet’s game-tying three-pointer bounced favorably off the rim before dropping through, Cleveland possessed the ball for regulation’s final possession and found Sam Merrill in prime position. His attempt appeared so accurate that play-by-play announcer Mike Breen seemed ready to deliver his famous “BANG!” call with the ball rolling inside the rim. However, he managed only “BA!” before switching to “In and out! That one halfway down!”
“We got a little unlucky,” Atkinson said.
During the game’s final 12:49 — encompassing the end of regulation plus overtime — Brunson alone outscored Cleveland 17-11. Anunoby nearly matched that feat with 10 points during the same period.
The statistics from that crucial stretch tell the story:
— Field goal shooting: New York .750 (15-20), Cleveland .222 (4-18).
— Three-point shooting: New York .750 (6-8), Cleveland .182 (2-11).
— Free throw shooting: New York .800 (8-10, all from Anunoby), Cleveland .250 (1-4).
— Rebounding: New York 13, Cleveland 2.
— Brunson converted 8 of 10 shots during those minutes, while Shamet and Bridges combined for perfect 5-for-5 shooting (all three-pointers).
— Harden (1-5) and Mitchell (0-5) struggled badly, combining for just 1-for-10 shooting during the collapse.
