Cavaliers vs. Knicks Game 2 odds: New York favored after historic comeback at MSG

There are moments in sports that burn lines of demarcation between joy and sorrow.

Tuesday night’s Eastern Conference finals Game 1 was just such a moment. The New York Knicks stormed back from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and win 115-104 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For Knicks fans, after watching their team resurrect from a 0.1 percent chance of winning, elation, a sleepless night of celebration. For Cleveland fans: absolute devastation, a sleepless night of “what ifs.”

That’s the NBA playoffs.

However, one perspective on the series is that this matchup might be closer than many pundits predicted. Cleveland suffered a historic collapse, one that will sting for a long time. But they also had the Knicks on the ropes.

The odds don’t see it that way, though. The Knicks were -265 favorites to get past the Cavs before Game 1. Now they are at -450, or an 81 percent implied likelihood they make it to the NBA Finals. The Cavs, no strangers to advancing against the odds, are at +350 or a 22 percent chance.

What will Game 2 hold for these teams?

Game 2: Cavaliers at Knicks

TV: ESPN

Time: 8 p.m. ET Thursday

Series odds: Knicks -450, Cavaliers +350

You know that common thinking about how hard it can be to flip a switch and turn it on in the playoffs after a so-so regular season? Well, the Knicks appear to be doing that.

The Knicks, who entered the season as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, finished the regular season with a solid 53-29 record, earning them the No. 3 seed in the postseason. Then, New York fell behind 2-1 in its first-round series against Atlanta. At that point, the Hawks were favored to advance in that series.

Since losing Game 3 in Atlanta, the Knicks have been on fire. New York has eight straight wins, and seven of them have been by double digits, including Tuesday night’s roaring comeback. Four of them came by at least 29 points. The Knicks’ lowest scoring output during this run was 108 points. They’re averaging 124 points in the eight victories.

That’s why New York is so heavily favored to advance from this series. For some, seeing the grit it took to come back from 22 down was another reason. Jalen Brunson scored 15 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks went on a 30-8 run before adding a 14-3 advantage in overtime.

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What else is there to say about Jalen Brunson?

The Knicks were getting a shellacking by the Cavs, down 22 with 7:45 remaining. Then Brunson grabbed his cape.

However, until that wild collapse, in which nearly every decision seemed baffling, the Cavaliers were playing well. And let’s not forget, Cleveland was a preseason favorite in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs demolished Detroit in Game 7 on Sunday to reach the conference finals, while the Knicks were on several days’ rest.

And yet, for much of Game 1, Cleveland was cruising. Up until Brunson went on his scoring binge, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was the best offensive player in the game, scoring 29 points and adding three assists and five rebounds. Evan Mobley added 15 points and 14 rebounds.

However, the offense went quiet near the end. James Harden missed 5 of 6 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter and needed help guarding Brunson.

As The Athletic’s Joe Vardon pointed out, “Overall, the Cavs shot just 5 of 17 in the fourth and 1 of 7 in overtime. They committed five turnovers in the final 17 minutes, but those mistakes weren’t nearly as costly as the bad defense and the stagnant offense, with Harden running isolation and missing shot after shot, then being targeted time and again on the other end.”

How will the Cavaliers respond?