25-26 Knicks Make Franchise History in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals

Monday night saw Game One of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder go into double overtime. A day later, we saw the New York Knicks defend their home court in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While New York trailed by two at halftime, they dramatically fell behind by 22 points at one point. However, a 32-18 surge in the fourth quarter allowed the Knicks to tie the game up at 101 and send this thrilling matchup into overtime. During overtime, New York went on a 14-3 run that secured a 115-104 win to start the series. The Knicks made franchise history with their 22-point comeback victory. Now, they must look to win at home once more on Thursday before the series shifts to Cleveland Saturday night.

Jalen Brunson’s Fourth Quarter Performance Was Magical

With the Knicks down, Jalen Brunson scored 15 points on seven of nine shooting from the field, while four of his fellow teammates combined for 17 in the fourth, closing the gap on the Cavaliers’ momentous lead. New York’s captain showed that no lead is safe and dominated the floor, finishing with 38 points. As the leader of this team, Brunson needs to regroup his teammates for a battle in Game Two, in which Cleveland will look to get revenge after losing their big lead and falling short in key moments. With a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, there shouldn’t be a doubt that the three-time all-star will look to ball out at home in MSG.

Sam Merrill Could Have Ended It in Regulation

The Cavs had the final possession in regulation. James Harden passed the ball to Sam Merrill, who attempted a three-pointer to win the game for Cleveland. The ball rimmed out, forcing the game into overtime. Merrill’s rim out could have been luck; however, New York needs to be more aware of the Cavaliers’ three-point threats in the 30-year-old, in addition to Dean Wade and Max Strus going forward in this series. Those three perimeter threats, plus Harden and Donovan Mitchell, can cause havoc for the Knicks if they don’t defend the ball or get to an opponent fast enough.

OG Getting Back to His Old Self

During the first 48 minutes of Game One, OG Anunoby struggled, scoring just four points. However, in overtime, he started to look like his old self again, scoring nine of New York’s 14 points. We surely saw Anunoby trying to get back into form, but the shots weren’t falling. Finally, by overtime, the confidence was there and flowing for the 28-year-old. A great performance in Game Two could accelerate another win, putting even more pressure on the Cavs heading back to Cleveland.