The NBA playoffs are nearing an end. We've reached the second to last round of the playoffs and have received immensely entertaining games in the Conference Finals on both rounds. In the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder went to double overtime in Game 1 of the series. Both teams traded possessions down the stretch. Both teams' best players dictated the outcome, for better or worse. For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama was flat out dominant, scoring 41 points and 24 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. For the Thunder, two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points, albeit on 7-of-23 shooting, in addition to four turnovers (although he did have 12 assists). His scoring inefficiency and inability to make shots directly influenced the result of the game.In the Eastern Conference, Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers also needed extra quarters, albeit for a different reason. The Cavaliers held a 22 point lead in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost the game, by a 115-104 margin. The Cavaliers' loss marks the league's second-largest fourth-quarter blown lead in the playoffs in the last 30 years of postseason play. The late game meltdown even removes some of the stench from the Houston Rockets' Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the Rockets blew a six-point lead within the last 30 seconds, joining just the New York Knicks as the only teams to surrender such a lead with such little time.Not to say that one loss is better than the other, as both outcomes are the same. However, blowing a 22 point lead in the final quarter of a game in the Western Conference Finals round does remove the stench of the Rockets' meltdown, due to the stakes.The Cavaliers shot 4-of-18 over the final 12:49 of the game -- good for 22 percent. They also scored just 11 points from the final seven minutes and 44 second point in the fourth quarter, in addition to just 2-of-11 from long-range during that span.The Knicks, on the other hand, scored 44 points on 15-of-21 from the field and 6-of-9 from deep during that time frame. Part of the issue was Donovan Mitchell’s scoring drought, as his last made field goal took place at the 8:19 point of the fourth quarter. Game 2 of the series will be Thursday in New York. It will be interesting to see how the Cavaliers bounce back.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow