Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to historic 0.005% comeback in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

The New York Knicks were in a state of limbo for quite a time in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their offense only came from Mitchell Robinson free throws which rarely found the bottom of the net. But something shifted in the clutch. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell looked like their basketball prowess was sucked out of them. Jalen Brunson and Co. then proceeded to make a historically unlikely comeback which only happens 0.005% of the time in NBA Playoffs history.

Brunson, Knicks stage comeback with only 0.005% odds of succeeding

At a certain point in Game 1, the Knicks trailed by as much as 22 to the Cavaliers. Coach Mike Brown had no answers for the barrage led by Donovan Mitchell. Then, the rain from the Cavaliers offense stopped. This is where Jalen Brunson stepped in. He started heating up and to send the game to overtime.

By the end of the game, Brunson dropped 38 points on a 51.72% field goal percentage. He also went 70% from the free throw line to will the Knicks back into life. When the final buzzer sounded, he helped the Knicks accomplish their biggest NBA Playoffs comeback in franchise history.

How huge were the odds that the Knicks and Brunson had to overcome?

Well, squads that go down 20 or more in the fourth quarter of an NBA Playoffs bout have only won thrice out of 747 tries prior to this Knicks comeback. When the numbers are crunched and this game is included, Brunson and the Knicks are only the fourth team among 747 others to beat the odds. To put that into perspective, overcoming this large of a fourth quarter deficit only happens 0.005% of the time in the NBA Playoffs, per Keerthika Uthayakumar.

Moreover, this is the second-largest fourth quarter comeback since the play-by-play era started in 1997. The Knicks usurped the Boston Celtics' 21-point comeback against the New Jersey Nets back in 2002 along with the Golden State Warriors overcoming a 20-point deficit against the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015. Only the Los Angeles Clippers' 24-point resurgence to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012 had a bigger deficit than this feat.

Obviously, the Knicks will take an NBA Playoffs win regardless of how they get it. But schematic and rotational changes against the Cavaliers need to implemented in case they want to be more consistent as a title contender.

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