NBA’s Two Minute Report Shows Multiple Missed Calls In Cavaliers Game 1 Collapse

Following the Cavaliers disappointing 104-115 loss to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, the NBA has released the official Last 2 Minute Report for Game 1.

May 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts to referee Scott Foster (48) during the third quarter of game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Game 1 was a rollercoaster ride for Cleveland Cavaliers fans. From leading throughout three quarters to blowing a 22-point fourth quarter lead, there was a lot to dissect from Game 1.

As the lead dissipated, the officiating was one of the last things Cavs fans took note of.

However, as it turns out, the NBA takes a look at every play within the last two minutes of all close games to determine if there were any officiating errors that could have potentially altered the outcome of the game.

When the report was released y last evening, Cavs fans started to notice a few interesting calls.

There were three total missed calls 

The Last 2 Minute Report found a total of three missed calls. The first was actually in favor of the Cavaliers as Scott Foster and his crew missed an inadvertent elbow by Evan Mobley that hit Landry Shamet in the face.

While this should have been an offensive foul according to the report, the result of the possession was a loose ball that was knocked out of bounds and ruled Knicks ball, which brings us to our next error.

This out of bounds, that resulted from the possession that should have been stopped for an offensive foul on Mobley, was called out on the Cavs. However, the report concluded that it should have been called out on OG Anunoby and the Cavs should have received possession instead of the Knicks.

When a possession has as many missed calls as that possession did, it’s probably best to call it a wash and live with the result the referees came to in real time. It is the third missed call that might have some fans up in arms.

The final missed call

In the Knicks possession that resulted from the missed out of bounds call, Anunoby sets an illegal screen on Sam Merrill that goes uncalled. This illegal screen causes Merrill to be late in his rotation to Jalen Brunson which causes everybody else to play help defense and rotate, leaving Shamet wide open for the game tying three-point shot.

This missed call is the reason Shamet got such a clean look at a game tying shot in a conference finals game. While these missed calls are certainly not the only reason the Cavaliers lost the game, it is what head coach Kenny Atkinson alluded to when he said it was an unlucky ending for the Cavaliers.

In retrospect, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. From an offensive cold spell, to Harden’s defensive meltdown, to the Knicks getting hot, to a few small missed calls down the stretch; all contributed to the perfect storm that was a 22-point fourth quarter meltdown.

If the Cavs can look past the ordeal as an ugly experience that cannot happen again, a Game 2 victory should be within grasp.