The New York Knicks pulled off one of the most thrilling comebacks in playoff history on Tuesday night to shock the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 115-104 victory in Game 1 to take an early advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Trailing by as much as 22 points with roughly seven minutes left in the game, the Knicks took off on a scoring run that tied the game at 101 apiece in the finals seconds to send the game to overtime and from there the Knicks kept dominating on their way to victory, putting together a 44-11 run to close out the game.

There's a lot of factors that went into that comeback, including a 38-point performance from Jalen Brunson and some clutch performances from Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet, but the undeniable power of home court advantage is something that Knicks head coach Mike Brown singled out after the game.

The Knicks have the benefit of one of the most passionate fan bases in not just basketball, but all of sports, and opening Game 1 in Madison Square Garden gave them a supreme advantage that fueled their historic run.

With the home crowd on their side, Brown had no reason to worry even as the Cleveland lead continued to grow and he knew that if the Knicks could just string together a few good plays, the energy shift in the arenas would do the rest.

"Our crowd is fantastic. It's the best in the league and our guys felt their energy. As soon as we got a couple of stops, made a couple of shots, the crowd was right back in the game... Shout out Knicks fans. You guys were freaking awesome tonight," Brown said (via SNY). 

The passion of Knicks fans has only been fueled by the way that the Knicks have been playing this postseason, giving the city hope that this year is their best chance at securing a championship in over five decades.

Brown has praised the crowd before and how the energy can be felt in the streets and in the stands and that energy was on full display Tuesday night.

Basketball notoriously is a game of runs and the momentum shift that runs are fueled by is dictated by the crowd just as much as it is by the players on the court. 

Any away team in Madison Square Garden knows they're walking into a hostile environment while the Knicks themselves have the confidence if an entire city behind them. 

As well as the Cavaliers were playing for most of the game, no lead is safe when they're playing in New York and they found that out in devastating fashion in Game 1.

It's what makes winning at least one game on the road so important for Cleveland, especially since the Knicks will have the majority in home games should the series go seven games, but Game 1 was not one of those victories for Cleveland and the New York faithful were a big reason why.