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There’s no question James Harden will eventually be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, but it’s starting to feel like he’ll never have a signature moment in the playoffs.
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Despite owning a 22-point lead with 8:19 left in regulation, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to blow Game 1 against the New York Knicks. One of the big reasons why they collapsed in the fourth quarter is because Jalen Brunson picked on Harden, shooting 7-of-11 when being guarded by the former MVP.
“It was no secret: We were attacking Harden,” Knicks coach mike Brown said. “Just like we have to figure out different ways to guard Harden and [Donovan] Mitchell, they have to find ways to guard Jalen.”
Not only was Harden dreadful on defense, he had a nightmare performance on the other side of the floor. He went 5-of-16 from the field, giving him the most playoff games with under a 35% field goal percentage since 1955.
That’s the type of statistic that shouldn’t be possible for an all-time great scorer, and yet, Harden continues to stumble when the lights are bright.
It’s also worth noting that Harden has struggled to take care of the basketball. He’s had as many or more turnovers than made field goals in 48 playoff games.
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Are the Cavaliers drawing dead?
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was asked what’s the message in the locker room after blowing Game 1.
“I said it in the locker room, just that. We lost, we f—ing blew it,” Mitchell told reporters. “Alright, let’s run for Game 2. Simple as that.”
That might sound fine, but there’s no guarantee the Cavaliers will pick themselves up off the mat and earn a bounce-back win in Game 2.
The Cavaliers and Knicks will resume their series on Thursday night. As of now, New York is an overwhelming favorite to make the NBA Finals.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 6:08 AM.