Before the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks even began their series in the Eastern Conference Finals, former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague claimed it was “over with” for the Cavs.
Now that Cleveland lost Game 1 against New York in excruciating fashion, Teague seems to believe the Cavs blew their chance, allowing him to reaffirm his belief that the series is “over.”
Jeff Teague says it’s over with for the Cavs:
“I look at it like the same thing Knicks got beat last year by the Pacers, in that game 1 set the tone it was over. The Knicks couldn’t bounce back. This is the same exact thing that happened to the Pacers if the Knicks were Pacers… pic.twitter.com/pirXxd68Ab
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 20, 2026
“It’s over for the Cavs,” he said. “It’s over. That was your chance. It’s over.”
The Cavs gave themselves a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 from the Knicks on the road by earning a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter. It looked for certain like Cleveland was on its way to a 1-0 series lead that would’ve shifted home-court advantage.
But there was no celebration for the Cavs on Tuesday, as their 22-point lead was as good as it got. The Knicks put together a furious comeback in the fourth quarter and wound up outscoring Cleveland 32-18 in the frame. That pushed the game to overtime, where the Cavs were completely out of gas.
They scored just three points in the extra period and ended up losing by 11, turning the night into an all-time letdown for the franchise.
The inconsistent postseason play of veteran guard James Harden continued, as he finished the game just 5-of-16 from the field and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also committed six turnovers and was targeted on defense.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson also raised some eyebrows with his decision-making in the matchup, with many pointing to his timeout usage (or lack thereof) and management of Harden.
Many seem to think that the series is over for Cleveland after its Game 1 meltdown, but the team will have a chance to even the series in just over 24 hours. For as demoralizing as the loss on Tuesday was, the team did prove that it can compete with and even outplay the Knicks at times.
The Cavs will still need to win a road game at some point during the series in order to have a chance. Their opportunities to do so will come in Games 2, 5 and 7 if the series reaches that point. For now, the team simply has to forget about the catastrophe in Game 1 and find a way to move forward.
