Inside the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 1 Loss to the New York Knicks

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't hold onto a 22-point lead as they fell in a 115-104 Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavs in the Eastern Finals matchup with 29 points and a career-high six steals.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson countered with a team-high 38 points.

The Cavs muscled their way to an early lead against New York as Cleveland's bigs made up for a few starting misses with a solid defensive presence. The Knicks took the lead right back as they found out how to counter Cleveland's opening game plan with plenty of pick-and-rolls and pressure on defense. A scoring streak from Brunson paved the way to 10 solo points by the end of the quarter, while Mitchell would counter with seven of his own after a strong opening scoring outing.

The Knicks would end up outpacing the Cavs both in the paint and on the boards with a 22-point and 9-rebound difference by game's end.

How the Knicks came back

A close-range barrage from the duo of wing Josh Hart and guard Jose Alvarado kept things in New York's favor as the Cavs couldn't find ways to contain the Knicks' drives inside in the second quarter. The Cavs would tie things up with a lopsided run of their own from the 3-point line, where their guard crew helped guide them to six makes on nine tries from beyond the arc in the quarter.

Their turnaround continued into the third quarter, where a pair of makes from the right corner gave Cleveland the comfortable lead and momentum it needed to stay ahead until the fourth quarter.

The Cavs logged more than 30 points in two quarters after logging 16 in the first quarter, which nearly held off a 30-8 run from the Knicks that sent them into overtime. The Cavs would all but shut down in overtime as they wouldn't hit a single shot until just over three minutes in, while New York pushed ahead with the same success it found in the paint.

The Cavs will continue their first bout in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2018 after falling in Game 1. The Cavs went 1-2 against the Knicks in the regular season, which included two losses on the road before the start of the new year. The Cavs entered the night with a road record of 2-5 in their first two playoff series. They earned their two road wins by trading back-and-forth blows in away outings with the Detroit Pistons during the Eastern Semifinals, where Cleveland came out on top with a Game 7 victory as four Cavaliers reached 20 points or more.

The Cavs last defeated New York in the Garden in 2025, when now-LA Clippers guard Darius Garland dropped 26 points to nearly cap off one of Cleveland's most memorable regular-season runs in recent memory.

The Cavs will tip off against the Knicks at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday in Madison Square Garden. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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