BBNBA Playoffs: Cavs blow a 22-point 4th quarter lead to the Knicks

Keep Zack Geoghegan in your thoughts and prayers right now. The KSR writer and Cleveland Cavaliers superfan just got back from vacation, but after Tuesday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he may want to disappear again for a while. The Cavs were up 22 points in the 4th quarter and looked like they were going to cruise to a victory at Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks went plum ignorant, scoring bucket after bucket to send the game to overtime, where they kept the momentum going and pulled away with a 115-104 win.

Karl-Anthony Towns had a 13-13 double-double for New York, including some clutch rebounds late in regulation, but it was Jalen Brunson who did most of the scoring down the stretch. He finished the game with a game-high 38 points.

The Cavs were up 93-71 with 7:44 left in the game when the collapse commenced. Cleveland had a 99.9 percent chance to win the game before the Knicks went on a 44-11 run and shot 10-15 compared to 4-18 from the Cavs. The win marked the biggest comeback in Knicks playoff history and the second-largest 4th quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.

Seriously. Give Zack a hug if you see him. He needs it.

The Knicks took a 1-0 series lead over Cleveland and will look to defend home court once again on Thursday night in the Garden.

BBNBA Statistics 5/19/2026

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	115-104 W vs. CLE	13	6-15 (1-5)	13	5	1	1	7	+13	40

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

TIME/TV	MATCHUP	SERIES
8:30 p.m. ET | NBC/Peacock	(2) Spurs (Fox, Johnson) @ (1) Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)	West Conf. Finals: SAS leads 1-0