How James Harden's defense (or lack thereof) sank Cavs in historic collapse
Noted playoff disappointment James Harden helped the Knicks stun the Cavaliers in Game 1.
Stop me if you've heard this before, but James Harden just cost his team a playoff game. The lights were too bright for Harden once again Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Harden's Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead with under eight minutes to go thanks to his porous defense.
A traffic cone would've given Jalen Brunson more resistance. New York Knicks coach Mike Brown admitted postgame , "There's no secret, we were attacking Harden. " The numbers back that up.
Harden faced 21 on-ball picks as the screener defender in the fourth quarter and overtime, with the Knicks generating 1. 6 points per direct action on those plays, according to the All NBA podcast . Brunson blew right by Harden throughout the Knicks' improbable comeback.
Whether he was getting his own bucket or dishing to a teammate, Brunson operated with ease by attacking Harden's practically nonexistent lateral quickness. Harden's effort on closeouts and reluctance to get a hand up on the perimeter would be embarrassing in the regular season, let alone an Eastern Conference Finals game that could've begun to reverse his legacy as a playoff loser. Instead, Harden proved to be exactly who we thought he was, and even worse offensively.