There was something in the air in New York tonight. The New York Knicks, propelled by an absolutely possessed Jalen Brunson, roared their way back from a 22-point deficit… in the fourth quarter.  The Garden turned from a silent gathering to as deafening as it’s ever been. They just witnessed one of the greatest comebacks, the largest in Conference Finals history. This was the second straight overtime game in the playoffs, and it was just as stunning. Former players and legends were in overdrive watching the improbable unfold in front of them.

Former FS1 analyst Skip Bayless had already called it “an all-time collapse” from the Cavaliers. Even Bayless couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. He praised Jalen Brunson for going unconscious in the final stretch to turn a pipe dream into a bewildering reality. But the veteran analyst mainly pointed out what he feels the Cavs did wrong even before the playoffs began. “This is what happens when you trade for James Harden,” Bayless wrote on X.

Charles Barkley couldn’t agree more. But he didn’t single anybody out. “I don’t like to get on TV and say people choked, but that was a damn choke job,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. After leading by 22 points, putting together a flawless offensive performance, the Cavs suddenly couldn’t get anything to fall. Maybe it was the nerves or just brutal fortune that worked against them. All they managed was 3 points in OT, by which time the Knicks blew them out

Neither the Beard nor Donovan Mitchell had any impact during the closing moments of the game. It was all Brunson, who went on a personal 11-0 run to burn away the 22-point deficit. And he did attack Harden relentlessly to the point that every motion came from a successful drive against the Cavaliers guard. But that’s really a secondary factor. Jalen Brunson went scorch earthed, now for god knows how many times for the Knicks.

Jamal Crawford gave the ‘Captain’ his flowers. “Brunson just keeps adding to his Knicks Legend,” he wrote. Knicks fans will never forget this day. They’ve defended Brunson with their pride, and he fought for theirs tonight. The Knicks finished the game outscoring the Cavs 44-11.

While the Knicks army celebrated in utmost jubilation, the Cavaliers were stuck processing what had happened.

The script just changed, in front of our eyes, but still unbelievably. It’s been two days of notorious action and drama-filled overtime thrillers. Some NBA players just took the playoff atmosphere in. Dwight Howard wrote, “These playoff games have been amazing”. Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis raised a glass to that sentiment. “Man, I’m a hoop head and it’s some serious hoops going on right now, and I love it!!,” the Bucks forward wrote on X.

Magic Johnson, a well-experienced postseason star, is wondering how the Cavaliers can emotionally recover from such a heavy blow. The Knicks were down 22 points against the Cavaliers when Jalen Brunson decided to take over and put the Knicks on his back!! He scored 17 of his 38 points in the 4th quarter to lead the Knicks to a win 115-104 in OT. There’s no way the Cavaliers should’ve lost this game. It’s going to be hard to recover from this loss and win the Series,” Johnson mentioned on X.

It’s been a euphoric 24 hours in the NBA playoffs. You can tell the ticket to the finals is being dangled, and neither of the four teams is taking it for granted. Maybe the Cavaliers did, and they suffered unlike anything before. That’s what the postseason produces.

Cavaliers got unlucky, says Kenny Atkinson

It’s not a stretch to say the Cavaliers just forgot that they were burying the Knicks for three and a half quarters. A 22-point lead is pretty much game, set, and match. Teams have tried to rally back, but all you need is one or two responses to walk away with a win. Instead, the Cavs watched themselves go down, and didn’t do anything. There were no adjustments as Brunson attacked James Harden, and neither did Kenny Atkinson think of calling a timeout.

“I like to hold my timeouts. I didn’t want to get one timeout at the end of the game. One or two-point game, I try to hold ’em,” said the Cavaliers head coach. Well, holding them out till the Knicks finished an 18-1 run turned everything around. It drained the life out of the Cavaliers. But Atkinson made some other surprising comments after the game. For one, he claimed to be “super proud” of the team’s performance.

“We got a little unlucky… We played great basketball tonight for three quarters. You know, unfortunate fourth quarter. They dominated us in the fourth quarter,” Atkinson added.

The Cavaliers’ head coach had to think luck wasn’t on his side. Imagine, up 22 with the Knicks just threatening a run, and the entire team shuts down. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined for just two made field goals in the fourth. The four starters who played in overtime didn’t register a single point. The tables of fortune did turn against Cleveland and Kenny Atkinson. But it could easily have been avoided with some minor tweaks and adjustments.

Kenny Atkinson allowed the game to flow, hoping a 22-point cushion would be enough. But it blew up in his face. There’s no other explanation for such meltdowns. The Cavaliers just went mute, stunned by Jalen Brunson’s expert 38-point performance. They weren’t given time to think. New York was on their throats, and everyone, including Atkinson, succumbed to the pressure.