It may be some time earlier than James Harden lives that one down.
There had been many elements behind the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 22-point fourth-quarter collapse in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, however one stood out in the rapid aftermath of a 115-104 New York Knicks win.
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That could be Harden, who is not any stranger to playoff clunkers in his prolonged profession. Tuesday, nevertheless, was the primary time he was the protagonist of one of the worst collapses in NBA playoff history.
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During the Knicks’ game-flipping 44-11 run, Harden went 1-for-5 for 3 factors with zero assists and one turnover. That alone is unhealthy, particularly once you’re requested to run the offense with Donovan Mitchell seemingly restricted from enjoying his typical function.
Where it obtained actually brutal, nevertheless, was on protection, because the Knicks hunted Harden like a wounded pheasant.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was requested after the sport if he thought of benching Harden on defensive possessions in the ultimate minutes of the sport. He stood by his player. His response:
“No. He’s been one of our best defenders in these playoffs. I trust him. Smart. Great hands. Didn’t think about that.”
Meanwhile, right here’s what Knicks head coach Mike Brown had to say in the other interview room:
“There is no secret, we were attacking Harden.”
It will get notably brutal for Harden once you break down the numbers, as the ALL NBA Podcast did on social media. The fourth quarter and extra time noticed Harden positioned because the screener defender on 21 on-ball picks. The Knicks scored 1.6 factors per direct motion on these performs.
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They additionally scored 1.9 factors per direct motion in the 9 instances they obtained Harden to change into isolation. That is mainly what your common NBA participant would rating in an unoccupied paint.
There’s actually no diminishing how a lot of a fiasco this was for Cleveland. Losing Game 1 is one factor. Blowing a double-digit lead is one other. But to blow Game 1 like that, with Harden fulfilling his personal playoff caricature, Mitchell probably restricted in crunch time by damage, and Atkinson seemingly asleep on the wheel — he referred to as a single timeout in the 30-8 Knicks run that despatched the sport to OT — is the type of sport that makes the remaining of a collection really feel like fait accompli.
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It shall be on Harden and the Cavaliers to alter that in Game 2 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).