The poster between Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell was to symbolize this Eastern Conference final between the Cavs and the Knicks. Finally, the fourth quarter of Game 1 mainly revolved around the leader of Gotham… and James Harden. In a match where New York signed one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the NBA playoffs by erasing a 22-point deficit to win 115-104.
New York in fact targeted the bearded man in defense in money time in order to cause changes and allow Jalen Brunson (1.88 m, 29 years old) to attack one on one. A sequence which ended in a terrible 18-1 in favor of the Big Apple players and a terrible slump for the Cavaliers.
Kenny Atkinson refuse de charger Harden
Very quickly, the criticism focused on James Harden (1.96 m, 36 years old), but Kenny Atkinson preferred to defend his leader after training on Wednesday.“I know that everyone blames James, but I would especially say that it was our collective defense that failed.â€explained the Cavaliers coach. “For three quarters, our defense was really excellent. So we know we can do it. HAS”
The technician was also criticized for being late in taking a timeout while Brunson was chaining attacks against the 2018 MVP. But Cleveland especially wants to remember that the match got away from him collectively after having largely controlled the match for two quarters. In the Cavs locker room, Dennis Schröder also refused to make James Harden the main responsible for the fiasco.
James Harden vs Jalen Brunson – comparison
“Jalen Brunson is one of the most clutch players in the NBA. We lost this match collectively. It’s basketball: the players on the court, the substitutes, the coaches… In the end, he made some difficult shots, you have to give him credit. HAS”
On an individual level, James Harden had a complicated evening with 5 successful shots out of 16 including an ugly 1 out of 8 3-pointers and six lost balls, twice as many as his total of decisive passes. A performance far from his impact since his arrival in Ohio from the Clippers at the trade deadline.
The 3rd pick of the 2009 NBA draft, however, remains a major element of Cleveland’s squad. Ninth best scorer in NBA history with nearly 30,000 points, he had largely contributed to the Cavaliers’ progress until then.
Kenny Atkinson also made a point of recalling this publicly: “I told him, “Without you, we would have gone out in the first round. You played very well for us but some sequences took on exaggerated proportions. Just continue to be yourself.” HAS”
The Knicks, for their part, refuse to get excited and keep their feet on the ground. NY remembers its own disillusionment from the 2025 conference final against Indiana, when Karl-Anthony Towns’ teammates let slip a 14-point lead in the last three minutes before a defeat in overtime. “They’re probably watching the video and thinking it was their match,” admitted Josh Hart. “They will try to correct two or three things to win the next one. HAS”
Now warned, the Cavs will come back even stronger on the floor of Madison Square Garden this Thursday during Game 2.
