Cavs Blow 643-0 Stat as Jalen Brunson, Knicks Made History in Unbelievable NBA Playoff Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers now own a dubious distinction following their 115-104 overtime loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to Nate Duncan of the Dunc'd On podcast, teams were previously 643-0 in the play-by-play era when they held a lead of 20 points or more with seven minutes remaining in regulation of an NBA playoff game:

The Cavs made that stat 643-1 on Tuesday, as the Knicks erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter thanks largely to the play of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson.

Brunson scored 16 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying basket with 19.3 seconds left to send it to overtime.

Most of Brunson's damage was done against Cavs guard James Harden, who had no answers defensively.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game that the team made a concerted effort to make sure Brunson was attacking Harden down the stretch, saying, "You got to do what the game dictates. They were doing the same thing with Jalen. So we said two can play that game."

Brunson made five baskets in a row on Harden at one point, completely flipping the momentum and sending the Madison Square Garden faithful into a frenzy.

Cavaliers-Knicks Highlights

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Cleveland still had a chance to win it at the end of overtime, but when Sam Merrill's shot missed, the Cavs' fate appeared to be sealed.

After blowing such a big lead in a short amount of time, the Cavaliers had nothing left in OT, getting outscored 14-3 in the extra session.

The Cavs were minutes away from taking a 1-0 series lead and putting the Knicks back on their heels, but after New York's historic comeback, Cleveland will need to pull off something big in Game 2 in order to get back on track.