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The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, and star Donovan Mitchell didn’t put words to the historic collapse.
The New York Knicks defeated the Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, erasing a 93-71 deficit with 7:52 left to play in regulation.
“I said it in the locker room, just that we lost, we f—king blew it,” Mitchell said in his postgame press conference.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts during overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on May 19, 2026. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
The only major fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the last 30 years was the Los Angeles Clippers rally from 24 down to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the 2012 first round.
The Cavaliers controlled the game through 40 minutes as the team’s defense stifled the high-powered Knicks offense. Mitchell scored 29 points and had six steals in the loss.
“We could have lost by 40. It still would have been 1-0,” Mitchell said. “Watch the film. We played pretty solid for three quarters or so. We’ll make adjustments and go from there.”
KNICKS STORM BACK TO SHOCK CAVS IN GAME 1 AS JAMES HARDEN’S DEFENSIVE PLAY COMES UNDER LIGHTNING
Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers is defended by Landry Shamet and Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks during the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in New York, New York, on May 19, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
The 29-year-old said he doesn’t want to let a quarter affect the rest of the series.
“It’s a loss. It’s a bad loss, but all we can do is go back and watch the film and fix it,” Mitchell said.
“It can’t happen. But it did. We play in two days. We can’t sit here and let it kill our momentum, kill what we’ve done. It’s not a good loss, but we’ve got to go out there and respond in Game 2.”
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New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts after scoring in the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in New York, New York, on May 19, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
Jalen Brunson sparked the Knicks’ comeback win, scoring 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter. The Knicks went on a 44-11 run in the fourth quarter and overtime to complete the stunning comeback.
The Knicks came from 20 points behind three times last year in the postseason. It was their biggest comeback since 1969-70, when they won their first of two NBA titles.
The Cavaliers will look to get off the mat and bounce back in Game 2 against the Knicks on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
