James Harden’s Defense Cost Cavaliers Game 1 and Cleveland Has No Answer Heading Into Game 2
The Knicks already told you their Game 2 plan. They are going to hunt James Harden on defense again, because it worked the first time and the Cavaliers have not shown they can stop it.
New York erased a 22-point fourth-quarter hole to steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals 115-104. Jalen Brunson dropped 38 points, six assists, and five rebounds. The Cavaliers played 36 great minutes and got crushed for 12. That is what attacking a defensive liability in switches will do to a team.
Tom Thibodeau ran Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns at Harden every chance the matchup presented itself in crunch time. Harden ended up on the wrong end of a brutal fourth quarter that Cleveland will be replaying on film all the way to Thursday night.
Kenny Atkinson tried to spin it after the game, calling the Cavaliers “unlucky.” The truth is uglier. Cleveland was outscored 38-13 in the fourth quarter. There is no luck involved in giving up 38 points in 12 minutes.
“It was no secret. We were attacking Harden,” one Knicks source told ESPN after the game. That is not a leak. That is the entire blueprint, and now every team in the East gets to watch how it works.
This is the problem with paying a 36-year-old guard $35 million a year and asking him to switch in the playoffs. Harden is still a brilliant offensive engine, and he had 26 points in Game 1. But you cannot hide him on defense against Brunson, who is a top-five scorer in the league and built specifically to hunt mismatches.
The Cavaliers’ counter is supposed to be Donovan Mitchell taking on Brunson when it matters. Mitchell was fine offensively with 28, but Cleveland needs more than fine from its franchise guard in a series like this. He has to take Brunson personally.
Atkinson also admitted he held onto his timeouts too long, which is exactly what every coach who just blew a 22-point lead always says. The bigger issue is rotation. He has to stagger Mitchell and Darius Garland so Harden never ends up on the floor without one of them. He cannot afford another stretch of pure Harden minutes in this series.
Sam Merrill missed the open three that would have iced Game 1. Mike Breen made his now-viral “half bang” call before the shot rimmed out. Little plays decided the game. They always do in the conference finals. The Cavaliers had Game 1 in their pocket and let it slip.
Game 2 is Thursday in New York. The Knicks are favored by six and a half points. Madison Square Garden is going to be unhinged after that comeback. If the Cavaliers do not protect Harden in pick-and-roll coverage, this series will be done by the weekend.
This is the chance for Mitchell and Evan Mobley to take it. Cleveland built this roster to win now. Now is the only time that matters.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
