Dave Portnoy tried to get an early dig in at the New York Knicks , but Game 1 turned his post into perfect comeback material.
The Knicks looked finished when Cleveland built a huge fourth-quarter lead at Madison Square Garden, and Portnoy leaned into the moment with a backhanded message to New York fans.
Then Jalen Brunson and the Knicks flipped the entire story in one of the wildest postseason rallies in recent memory.
Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images
Dave Portnoy posted while the Knicks were struggling against the Cavaliers, framing the night as a warning not to overreact.
Portnoy wrote, "As somebody who won a ton of Eastern Conference Finals, I want to tell Knicks fans not to give up. That looked like a rust game to me. Plus, probably overconfident after beating a pathetic Sixers team."
The line was classic Portnoy because it sounded like encouragement while still finding ways to insult the Knicks and Philadelphia at the same time.
At that point, the Knicks had every reason to look vulnerable. They trailed by 22 points with under eight minutes left, and Cleveland appeared ready to steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York's long break before the series also made the "rust game" explanation believable for a while. The Knicks looked flat, the offense was clunky, and the Garden crowd had gone quiet before the comeback started.
Portnoy's second message became even funnier once the Knicks turned a near-disaster into a 115-104 overtime win.
He added, "Long series. Keep your head up. I knew it wouldn't be easy. You guys aren't that good but you can still win this thing. Chin up."
The problem for Portnoy was that the Knicks immediately proved they were good enough to survive a collapse-level scare. New York closed regulation and overtime on a stunning 44-11 run, with Brunson finishing with 38 points.
The Cavaliers' offense fell apart late, and the Knicks repeatedly attacked James Harden in switches while Cleveland failed to find clean answers.
Portnoy's post was not wrong about the series being long, but the timing made it backfire. New York did not need comforting after Game 1. Cleveland did.
For Knicks fans, the comeback made the night feel even better. They got the win, the Garden eruption, and a Portnoy post that aged badly before the final buzzer.
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