Cavs' NBA Finals Odds Tank After Blowing Golden Chance in Eastern Conference Finals Opener

The moment was there for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they were eight minutes away from completely changing the complexion of the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night.

Until they weren't.

Cleveland had a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, as it was leading by 22 points with about eight minutes to play in the game. Then, a wild run by Jalen Brunson allowed the Knicks to come back and force overtime, where they went on to win -- and cover -- to take a 1-0 series lead.

The Knicks outscored the Cavs 44-11 over the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime, cementing an epic collapse by James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and company.

Before the Knicks comeback tonight, teams in last 30 seasons were 594-1 when leading by 22+ points in fourth quarter of a playoff game. The only other win was by Clippers, who rallied from 24 down to beat Grizzlies in Game 1 in 2012
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 20, 2026

Now, the Cavs' odds to win the NBA Finals are in a free fall. Cleveland entered this series at +2000 to win the title, but DraftKings Sportsbook dropped the Cavs to +3000 after they blew Game 1. Based on those odds, the Cavs have an implied probability of just 3.23 percent to win the NBA Finals.

The Knicks, on the other hand, moved up to +400 to win the title, remaining behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

There's no doubt that the Cavs are facing an uphill battle to win this series, as they already entered as underdogs. Cleveland has gone to seven games in each of the first two rounds of the playoffs, and fatigue could be a major factor as this series wears on.

The Cavs are 6.5-point underdogs in Game 2, and there is a silver lining that they were able to compete with New York for the majority of Tuesday's series opener. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has a lot of adjustments to make in Game 2, especially after Brunson and the Knicks picked on Harden continuously down the stretch of Game 1.

This odds movement shows that the Cavs are not only a long shot to win this series, but that oddsmakers have almost no confidence in Cleveland taking down either team in the Western Conference.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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