Donovan Mitchell, Cavs Had Near 100% Chance to Win ECF Game 1 vs. Knicks Before Epic Collapse

NBA teams aren't supposed to lose games when they have a 22-point lead with fewer than eight minutes remaining, but the Cleveland Cavaliers must have missed the memo.

Despite building a 93-71 advantage in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, the Cavaliers collapsed down the stretch on the way to a 115-104 overtime loss.

One look at the numbers shows just how improbable the collapse truly was even with the game in Madison Square Garden:

Not even a 99.9 percent win probability was enough to prevent Jalen Brunson from taking over.

Brunson scored 15 points in the last eight minutes of regulation with the final two coming with fewer than 20 seconds remaining to force overtime. New York consistently worked screens to get him matched up with James Harden, and the Cavaliers guard could do nothing to stop him.

It reached a point that Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked if he considered benching Harden, but he told reporters, "He's been one of our best defenders in these playoffs. I trust him. Smart. Great hands. Didn't think about that."

Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet each hit massive three-pointers in the final two minutes as well when Cleveland started to double Brunson, and the visitors' offense went missing for extended stretches on the other end.

Cavaliers-Knicks Highlights

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It didn't help the Cavaliers that Atkinson called a grand total of one timeout as the Knicks took over in crunch time, which allowed the raucous crowd to grow louder and apply even more pressure with every passing possession.

Harden was largely abysmal on offense, while Donovan Mitchell did not get enough chances down the stretch.

The ball consistently stuck with Harden in some of the biggest moments, which was a problem for the visitors considering he went 5-of-16 overall and 1-of-8 from deep with six turnovers during the game.

In a vacuum, this is just one loss in a best-of-seven series. The Cavaliers could bounce back and win Game 2 to steal home-court advantage and be in an ideal position when the series shifts to Cleveland.

But it is also the type of loss that could linger.

There could easily be a feeling of what-could-have-been from Cleveland if it starts to fall behind in Thursday's Game 2, and the Knicks will be primed to take advantage with Brunson leading the way.