By Oliver Carter
Game one of the Eastern Conference finals did not disappoint as the New York Knicks overturned a huge deficit to take down the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks eventually came out on top 115-104 in front of their home fans at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
22-point gap
The Cavaliers led by 22 points with seven minutes and 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter – but ended up losing by 11.
Cleveland had the game wrapped up when Donovan Mitchell hit a three-point shot, pushing the lead past 20, and all life was sucked out of Madison Square Garden.
However, Jalen Brunson then sprang to life for the Knicks.
He had 21 points entering the fourth quarter and scored another 15 in the final period as the visitors’ lead evaporated.
Cleveland only managed eight points in the final seven minutes and the final buzzer blew with the score at 101-101.
It was a chance for everyone to relax and reset, with five minutes of overtime to come in which the Cavaliers could redeem themselves.
New York had other ideas, though, outscoring the Cavaliers 14-3 in overtime.
A historic play-off collapse for the Cavaliers, then, and a terrible way to set the tone for the rest of the Eastern Conference finals.
Shamet the saviour
While Brunson topped the box score with his incredible 38 points, Landry Shamet had possibly the greatest nine points in NBA history, shooting 3/3 from beyond the three-point arc.
He hit the biggest shot of the night with a corner three to tie the game at 99-99 with just 44 seconds left on the clock.
That game-tying shot bounced off the rim, then the backboard, then the rim again before dropping through and setting the crowd alight.
The Knicks’ ninth man also had a +25 +/- in just 17 minutes of play, meaning New York outscored the Cavaliers by 25 in the minutes the 29-year-old guard played.
Post-game, Knicks forward OG Anunoby sang Shamet’s praises, saying: “We’re never surprised. This is what he does. He’s an amazing player.”
Head coach Mike Brown added: “He was fantastic. He was the difference in the ball game tonight on both ends of the floor.”
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How do the Cavaliers bounce back?
Cleveland will have to reset and put game one behind them as quickly as possible.
A historic collapse to give up what was a sure-fire away win is going to affect the morale and headspace of the Cavaliers.
Yet, a slight silver lining for the Cavaliers is the performance of Mitchell.
The Louisville Guard has struggled at times during this year’s play-offs when facing defenders such as Scottie Barnes and Ausar Thompson, but he was able to hunt switches to attack Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, James Harden struggled massively, scoring only 15 points at 5/16 from the field and 1/8 from three-point range.
Harden also racked up six turnovers and five personal fouls as the Knicks hunted him down on almost every offensive possession, forcing him to guard Brunson.
Ultimately, game two will be very telling of the Cavaliers’ mentality and their response to adversity.
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Ella Magyar