Knicks vs. Cavs: Newsday's Eastern Conference finals blog

Poor Doggy and his MRI-valium-Knicks game snafu

That's a good call, Dog.

Josh Hart checks ego at the door

Josh Hart wasn't on the floor to help end Game 1 for the Knicks. Here's what he said when asked about it Wednesday:

Landry Shamet is playoff-tested

Landry Shamet came up huge for the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers.

Shamet’s rim-rattling three-pointer with 45 seconds left tied the score and completed a miraculous 22-point comeback for the Knicks, who would take the game to overtime and beat the Cavaliers, 115-104.

While Shamet may not be one of the Knicks’ stars, his playoff experience is worth noting. Shamet, who has played for six teams in his eight NBA seasons, played in his 75th career playoff game on Tuesday night. He’s hit 75 career three-pointers in the playoffs. And he’s been red hot of late. Over his last three playoff games with the Knicks, Shamet is shooting a scorching 71% from the field (12-for-17), including 9-for-12 from the three-point line.

Comeback kids

The Knicks' 22-point rally in the fourth quarter of Game 1 on Tuesday night is the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback win in the playoffs since the NBA's play-by-play era began in 1997 and one of just four that involved a 20-plus point fourth-quarter deficit. The other three, and how those series shook out: 

April 29, 2012: Clippers vs Grizzlies, Western Conference first round Game 1

The Grizzlies held.a 24-point lead over the Clippers (88-64) with 11:37 left in the final frame, but Los Angeles went on an improbable 28-3 run in the final 9:13 to rally for the 99-98 win. The Clippers got 23 points from their bench in the fourth quarter, led by Nick Young's nine. L.A. won the series in seven games but would be swept by the Spurs in the conference semifinals.

May 25, 2002: Celtics vs. Nets, Eastern Conference Finals Game 3

Boston trailed by 21 points (74-53) to start the fourth quarter, but Paul Pierce scored 19 points as the Celtics outscored the Nets, 41-19, to take a 94-90 win. The victory gave the Celtics a 2-1 series lead, but the Nets went on close out the series with three straight wins before getting swept by the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

April 23, 2015: Golden State vs. Pelicans, Western Conference first round Game 3

Down 89-69 to start the fourth quarter, Golden State went on to force overtime after Steph Curry (10 points in the fourth) hit a game-tying three in the final seconds. Golden State went on to complete the four-game sweep and eventually won the NBA title.

Still stylin' and profilin' on sidelines

Walt Frazier owns more than 100 custom-made suits that he keeps in a half-dozen closets. He also has at least 70 pairs of shoes and too many ties to count.

When he's calling Knicks games in the regular season on MSG alongside Mike Breen, he will look at the weather report, consider the Knicks’ opponent and then begin pulling together possible outfits.

But these are the playoffs now, and local broadcasters get pushed aside for the folks on the national networks who pay buckets of money for the rights to show the games. That doesn't stop Frazier from looking slick on the sidelines at the games, as you can see in the photo here from Tuesday night's Game 1. 

Newsday's Barbara Barker caught up with Frazier last month for this story. And along the way, we learned 10 things about the 82-year-old Knicks legend.

Jalen Brunson understands crunch time

Here's a look at the shot chart for Jalen Brunson in Game 1 of the ECF against the Cavaliers, courtesy of NBA.com. Think he understands when it's time to go to work?

First quarter: 4-for-9

Second quarter: 2-for-3

Third quarter: 1-for-6

Fourth quarter: 7-for-9

Overtime: 1-for-2

Epic comeback? Sure. Historic comeback? These stats say yes.

To put some historical context on the Knicks’ remarkable win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was the rarest of comebacks.

Since 1997, teams were 1-594 when trailing by 22 points or more in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, according to the NBA. Now it’s 2-594, thanks to the Knicks.

It was the largest playoff comeback in Knicks franchise history. It also was the largest conference finals comeback since 1997, when play-by-play statistics were first tracked by the NBA.

The NBA said it was the first time in history that both Game 1s of the conference finals went to overtime. The Spurs beat the Thunder in double overtime in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night.

Knicks social media team checking in on their fan base

To borrow from "Mad Dog" Chris Russo: "Nicely produced."

Knicks links from Game 1

The Knicks trailed by 22 points with less than eight minutes to play. Then Jalen Brunson happened.

Instead of giving up, the Knicks decided to write yet another chapter in what has already been one heck of a postseason.

Game 1 was fun. Game 1 was exciting. Game 1 also was quite scary for the Knicks.

They were almost teammates in 2022. Now, Brunson and Donovan Mitchell are in each other's way of the NBA Finals.

Knicks fans take to the streets after Game 1

The Knicks pulled off a 22-point comeback last night in Game 1 against the Cavaliers. 

As sports fans in all cities are wont to do, Knicks fans took to the streets of New York City to celebrate after the win. Here's a quick roundup of some post-Game 1 videos posted to social media.

Comeback for the ages

The Knicks overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in overtime, 115-104, marking the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1997).

Knicks struggling from deep in first half

Knicks coach Mike Brown warned before the game that the Knicks could have lost something in their mental edge after the nine-day break between finishing off the sweep of Philadelphia and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks' 2-for-19 shooting from three-point range in the first half might be a sign. They led by as many as 11 before trailing 48-46 at the half. Jalen Brunson went 0-for-5 from three, but still leads the Knicks with 14 points. Donovan Mitchell has 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting for Cleveland.

Breakdown on tonight's referees

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson on quick turnaround

Kenny Atkinson on the quick turnaround -- and the predictions of doom for the Cavs: "Gave them a day off. I think we had gone 28 straight days or something without doing anything, so I just felt like guys needed a day. And then we did our scout this morning. So be it - the most…

— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) May 19, 2026

End of LIRR strike is great news for Knicks fans

Adam and Andrew Ayroso, of Bethpage, were in good spirits Tuesday when they took the LIRR to Game 1 of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals game with the Cavaliers.

But a day earlier? There was serious doubts and their father was concerned their commute would be a lot worse.

“We worried we’d have to drive in and that would take a couple of hours,” Adam said at Penn Station.

Instead they arrived 90 mins before tipoff in Knicks jerseys. Andrew was glad because he’s been to plenty of Knicks games and it could’ve been a strain both arriving and leaving the city.

Having the LIRR back made him appreciate how many people have to commute to and from Long Island to Manhattan. The brothers could now focus on more important matters, such as if the Knicks would win Tuesday or not.

Yet they also supported the LIRR union and weren’t upset they went on strike just before a pivotal playoff game.

Adam said: “I hope that people got what they asked for."

Thundersticks and flashing wrist bands and T-shirts, oh my!

Before tip-off, the Knicks have people placing Thundersticks, T-shirts, flashing wristbands and towels at people's seats. "It's a finely tuned machine," said the woman in charge of laying out the Thundersticks.

Jalen Brunson's Knicks Game 1 history

Jalen Brunson has played in nine playoff series with the Knicks since arriving in 2022. A look at his Game 1 averages in those series:

Points: 31.7

Assists: 5.6

Rebounds: 3.7

Three-point percentage: 33.7%

Free throw percentage: 88.6%

Minutes played: 38:07

Turnovers: 3.3

Pepsi gave away 10 free Knicks tickets to Game 2

Five lucky Knicks fans scored tickets for Thursday night’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden.

At noon today, Pepsi dropped five limited-edition Pepsi x Knicks collector cans in bodegas and pizzerias across all five boroughs — and fans found every single one in under 15 minutes flat.

The five winners will all be in the Pepsi Suite at The Garden on Thursday, May 21.

Here’s where the cans were hiding:

• Brooklyn: 555 Deli and Grill
• Queens: Gino’s
• Staten Island: Beyar’s Market
• Manhattan: Yorkville Deli
• The Bronx: Green Apple Gourmet

Getting to the game

LIRR schedules are expected to return to full service at 4 p.m. after the strike ended Wednesday night, meaning fans who are heading to Madison Square Garden for Game 1 should have their usual slate of trains to get to the game.

As of 3 p.m., off-peak trains were scheduled to leave from Ronkonkoma at 3:21, 3:54, 4:13, 4:46, 5:27, 5:54 and 6:25 p.m,, all of which were scheduled to arrive at Penn Station before 8 p.m. tip-off, according to the MTA's TrainTime app.

The Babylon line had off-peak trains leaving at 3:07, 3:18, 3:43, 4:07, 4:17, 4:52, 5:14, 5:35, 6:06, 6:18, and 6:38 p.m. Huntington off-peak trains left at 3:20, 3:53, 4:12, 4:16, 4:51, 5:09, 5:41, 5:46, 6:19 and 6:46 p.m.

The NBA playoff history between the Knicks and Cavs

The Knicks and Cavaliers will be meeting in the playoffs for the fifth time in NBA history. The previous four matchups took place in the Eastern Conference first round, and the Knicks won each of those series. The Knicks are 12-2 in their 14 playoff games against the Cavaliers.

1978: Knicks 2, Cavaliers 0

Bob McAdoo averaged 34 points and nine rebounds in the sweep for the Knicks. Campy Russell, who would later play for the Knicks for two seasons, led the Cavs with 27.5 points per game.

1995: Knicks 3, Cavaliers 1

The Knicks won both games in Cleveland as Patrick Ewing averaged 18.5 points and 11 rebounds in the series. Mark Price led the Cavs with 15 points and 6.5 assists per game.

1996: Knicks 3, Cavaliers 0

Jeff Van Gundy, who replaced Don Nelson as Knicks coach late in the regular season, won his first playoff series as a head coach. John Starks led the Knicks with 19.7 points and six assists per game.

2023: Knicks 4, Cavaliers 1

The Knicks easily won the series over the favored Cavaliers as Jalen Brunson led the way with 24 points per game. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 23.2 points per game in the series.

Ben Stiller and Patrick Ewing narrate 'Always Knicks' hype videos

First up, Mr. Tropic Thunder . . .

. . .  followed by Patrick Ewing

Knicks vs. Cavs TV schedule

All games start at 8 p.m. ET and air on ESPN, unless otherwise noted

Game 1: Cleveland at Knicks, Tuesday

Game 2: Cleveland at Knicks, Thursday

Game 3: Knicks at Cleveland, Saturday on ABC

Game 4: Knicks at Cleveland, Monday, May 25

*Game 5: Cleveland at Knicks, Wednesday, May 27

*Game 6: Knicks at Cleveland, Friday, May 29

*Game 7: Cleveland at Knicks, Sunday, May 31