Knicks' Historic Win Against Cavaliers Came With Major Officiating Mistakes
The New York Knicks took a 1-0 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, staging a historic comeback in Game 1 to secure a 115-104 victory.
New York trailed by as many as 22 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Jalen Brunson stepped up big time and sparked an 18-1 run by relentlessly attacking James Harden. With 19 seconds left, Brunson tied the game at 101-all on a floater.
It was all New York in overtime, as the team allowed the Cavaliers to score just three points. As a result, the Knicks made history with the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a Conference Finals game in the play-by-play era, as well as the largest playoff comeback in franchise history.
Brunson finished with 38 points on 15-of-29 shooting, while Mikal Bridges added 18 points.
For the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell tallied 29 points. Furthermore, Evan Mobley and Harden scored 15 apiece.
NBA L2M Report Reveals Three Errors in Knicks-Cavaliers Game
While it was certainly an epic comeback for the Knicks, they did benefit from a couple of officiating errors.
According to the NBA's Last Two Minute Report, there were three officiating mistakes in the fourth quarter. Two wrong calls benefitted the Knicks, while one favored the Cavaliers.
With 1:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mobley's elbow hit Landry Shamet in the face while the Cavs star was trying to make a screen for Mitchell. No foul was called, but the L2M Report stated that it should have been called an offensive foul.
In the same sequence, the Knicks got possession after Mitchell missed his shot and the ball went out of bounds. It seemed like Cavs center Jarrett Allen hit the ball, but review of the incident revealed that it was OG Anunoby who last touched it. That being said, it was deemed an incorrect call since Cleveland should have retained possession.
Making matters worse for the Cavs, right after that mistake, the referees missed another call on Anunoby and the Knicks in their ensuing possession.
Anunoby set a screen for Brunson and hit Cavs guard Sam Merrill in the process. No foul was called when it should have been an offensive foul.
The missed call allowed the Knicks to set up a play that ended with Shamet draining a game-tying triple.
It's certainly a frustrating development for the Cavs, especially since they could have protected their lead and secured the win in Game 1 had it not for the officiating mistakes.
While some might argue that the Cavs blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, the fact remains that the Knicks' comeback was helped by such crucial errors.
Related: NBA Legend Magic Johnson Gives West Teams an Unfortunate Reality Check
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:21 AM.