James Harden’s defense got picked apart by Jalen Brunson late in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Fans did the same on social media shortly after
The Cleveland Cavaliers star, long known to be a poor defender, was especially putrid down the stretch in the series opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y. The home team trailed by 22 points with under eight minutes left in the contest before Brunson decided to cook Harden on every single possession.
The Knicks closed the fourth quarter on a furious 30-8 run to force overtime with a consistent game plan on offense: hunt James Harden. Entire video compilations of New York’s comeback were virtually just a collection of plays showing Harden get cooked by Brunson.
2 MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS of Jalen Brunson HUNTING James Harden in the 4th and OT 😩 pic.twitter.com/SzqflCwZ4j
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 20, 2026
There was no hiding the Knicks’ strategy when it was evident on every plan. Even Knicks head coach Mike Brown conceded it during his postgame press conference following the 115-104 Knicks win.
“It was no secret we were attacking Harden,” Brown said after the game.
Harden failed to make up for his defensive shortcomings on the other end. He had just six points on 1/7 shooting in the fourth quarter and overtime. Donovan Mitchell wasn’t much better with three points on a 1/6 clip. The two combined for as many points as Landry Shamet (9) during that span.
Brunson, on the other hand, went off for 17 points of his 38 points from the final period onwards.
It didn’t help Cleveland that Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson seemed allergic to calling timeouts. Aside from interrupting the Knicks’ momentum, the Cavs could have used the timeouts to give Harden a breather or even consider making a defensive substitution to protect their lead.
Instead, the Cavs head to Game 2 down a game they probably needed to take to win the series.
