Cavs vs Knicks instant reactions to stunning Cleveland's Game 1 loss

NEW YORK — Fresh off of a second consecutive seven-game series, the Cavaliers met the well-rested New York Knicks for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden. The Cavs took down the top-seeded Detroit Pistons with a Game 7 win in Detroit to advance to the Conference Finals without LeBron James for the first time since 1992. The Knicks, meanwhile, rested for more than a week after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the second around.

In Game 1 , the Cavs built a 22-point lead before the Knicks went on a wild 18-1 run in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then overtake Cleveland 115-104 to take a 1-0 series lead. Here is Beacon Journal writer Ryan Lewis' instant reaction to Cavs-Knicks Game 1: Cavs vs Knicks Game 1. Ryan Lewis' instant reaction Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson referred to Donovan Mitchell as their "beacon" after the Game 7 win in Detroit, and that phrase is only gaining in validity.

Despite the end result, that was a great performance from Mitchell, who led the way on both ends of the floor, seemingly always coming up with the big bucket, the big steal, or both one after the other through the first three quarters. Only a few years after Mitchell Robinson gave the Cavs nightmares in a playoff series, the Cavs' strategy of hack-a-Mitch worked beautifully. With Cleveland holding a double-digit lead, it almost rendered Mitchell unplayable, thus messing with the Knicks' rotation.

The Knicks were on fire in the second round, which always gave way to the possibility that they'd hit a wall simply due to variance. Not only did that happen early on in Game 1, but there were several cases where Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley being in the paint clearly changed their plans, turning a potential layup into a pass and a re-set. Allen and Mobley gave Karl-Anthony Towns a difficult time while also impacting several would-be shot attempts from Knicks players driving into the paint.