The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a crushing blow in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, as they were in prime position to steal a road win before completely collapsing in the fourth quarter.
After leading by 22 points in the fourth, the Cavs failed to shut the door on the New York Knicks, who came all the way back to force overtime.
As the Knicks began to pull away in the overtime period, former NBA journeyman Eddie Johnson shared a harsh take on Cleveland’s fate: that the team will now likely get swept.
The Cavs have gone from being up 1 game to now probably get swept. What a comeback by the Knicks.
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) May 20, 2026
The Knicks completely dominated when it mattered most, outscoring the Cavs 32-18 in the fourth quarter and 14-3 in overtime. What should’ve been a statement win for Cleveland turned into one of the most heartbreaking losses in franchise history, and the team will now have to find a way to pick itself up.
The good news is that there are still opportunities ahead for the squad. If nothing else, the Cavs showed in Game 1 that they belong in this series with the Knicks, as they outplayed them for much of the game. The result makes any moral victories virtually impossible to stomach, but Cleveland still just has to steal one game on the road at some point in the series (and take care of business at home) in order to have a path forward.
The question is whether the team has what it takes to respond after such a demoralizing loss.
In this current era of Cavs basketball, many have questioned the team’s mental toughness at times. Some of that noise has gone away amid Cleveland’s strong playoff run this year, but it looks like another mental test is on the horizon with the way Game 1 unfolded.
For better or worse, the Cavs, who haven’t had many chances to rest this postseason, won’t have to wait long until they’re back in action, as Game 2 is set for Thursday.
Johnson may think Cleveland is in danger of being swept, but the squad only has to win one game to prove him wrong, and if it can stack a few more wins on top of that, it’ll be headed to the NBA Finals despite the Game 1 catastrophe.
