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The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead, and star Donovan Mitchell did not mince words about 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 news 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 bigger 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 first round in 2012.
The Cavaliers were in control of 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’ve lost by 40. It still would’ve 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 SCRUTINY
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 one quarter affect the rest of the series.
“It’s one loss. It’s a bad loss, but all we can do is go back and watch the film and fix it,” Mitchell said.
“That 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 been doing. It’s not a good loss, but we got to go out there and respond for Game 2.”
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New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts after scoring during 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 game-high 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. Those were their largest comebacks on record since 1969-70, when they won their first of two NBA titles.
The Cavaliers will try to get off the mat and bounce back in Game 2 against the Knicks on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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