NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, and star Donovan Mitchell didn’t mince his words about the historic collapse.
The New York Knicks beat the Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, erasing a 93-71 deficit with 7:52 left in regulation.
“I said it in the locker room, just that we lost, we blew it,” Mitchell said in his post-match press conference.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
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 single greatest 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 controlled the game for 40 minutes, as the team’s defense stifled the Knicks’ powerful offense. Mitchell scored 29 points and made 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 about three quarters. We’ll make adjustments and go from there.”
KNICKS RETURN TO SHOCK CAVS IN GAME 1 AS JAMES HARDEN’S DEFENSIVE GAME UNDER EXAMINATION
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 didn’t want to let one 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 happened. We play in two days. We can’t sit here and let this kill our momentum, kill what we’ve done. It’s not a good loss, but we have to go out there and respond for Game 2.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks 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’ victory, 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 a stunning comeback.
The Knicks came back from 20 points down three times last year in the playoffs. It’s their biggest comeback ever 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.
