Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and finished the night the decisive figure as the New York Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.
By the final buzzer the ny knicks score read 115-104, the result of a late-game strategy that zeroed in on James Harden and forced Cleveland into a collapse. The Cavaliers led by 22 points before the fourth-quarter run that the Knicks closed with a 44-11 spurt, turning what had looked like a rout into an overtime victory and a 1-0 series lead for New York.
The tactical weight of the comeback was obvious in the numbers: New York used 27 picks overall in the game, but none in the first quarter and only six through the first three quarters before ramping up in the fourth. In the final period the Knicks used the man Harden was guarding to set a screen 16 times. Beginning with 8:30 remaining in regulation, the Knicks switched Harden onto Brunson for 10 consecutive possessions, and New York scored 18 points on the next eight possessions after beginning that run — the stretch that collapsed Cleveland's lead.
The screening frequency was historic. No guard had been screened more often in any playoff quarter in the tracking era since 2013-14, and the Knicks leaned into that advantage, repeatedly forcing Harden into isolated defensive assignments. Mike Brown summarized Cleveland’s exposure plainly after the game: "It was no secret, we were attacking Harden."
Harden ended with 15 points in 42 minutes, missing 11 of 16 shots and adding three assists. The Knicks’ plan was to make Harden shoulder the defensive burden late; the offense that followed — led by Brunson’s 15 fourth-quarter points — proved too much for the Cavaliers to recover from. "(Brunson) made some tough ones, but obviously we all know he’s a great one-on-one player and I think anybody on an island, it’s going to be difficult," Harden said, bluntly recounting the matchup that decided the night.
Harden offered a self-critical take on Cleveland’s breakdown: "So we got to do a better job of making sure he sees bodies." He added that New York did a strong job of support defense around Brunson: "On the other end, they do a good job of supporting him and helping him when he’s on an island." Harden acknowledged Brunson’s impact directly: "So he made some tough ones, but we got to do a better job as a team just because it’s not a one-man job." He closed by noting the sequence that swung the game: "So, you got to be better in that aspect." "I think he made a couple of them, which really got them going," Harden said of Brunson’s late surge.
The result left Cleveland searching for answers. The Cavaliers entered the series after a large blown lead in Game 1 and will now head to Madison Square Garden short of a win, with Game 2 scheduled for Thursday night. The immediate issue for Cleveland is clear: the plan to funnel responsibility onto Harden worked for defensive intent but failed on execution, as Brunson repeatedly beat him one-on-one while New York’s screening scheme created constant mismatches.
The tension in the series is straightforward. The Cavs can say they planned to attack Harden, and Brown said as much; the statistical film shows they did. Yet the outcome shows a plan that backfired when Brunson took over — New York scored 18 points on the eight possessions after the switch-and-screen sequence began, and the Knicks closed with a 44-11 run that erased every cushion Cleveland had built earlier. That gap between plan and result is the true turning point of Game 1.
New York’s approach produced a clear, consequential conclusion: the Knicks have identified a repeatable tactic that exploits a Cleveland defensive configuration, and unless the Cavaliers adjust how they protect Harden and cover Brunson, the series will shift decisively toward New York. Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night will show whether Cleveland can fix the mismatch or whether the Knicks’ comeback becomes the template for the rest of the series.
