Cavaliers Were Asked If They'll Bench James Harden During Eastern Conference Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden has received the majority of the blame for Tuesday night's loss to the New York Knicks.

The Knicks erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter and stole Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to an improbable 44-11 run. Jalen Brunson was sensational down the stretch, scoring 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Harden truly had no answer for Brunson, allowing the All-Star guard to go 7-of-11 from the field when he was the primary defender.

"It was no secret: We were attacking Harden," 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."

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was asked if he thought about benching Harden during the Knicks' fourth-quarter surge. Not only did Atkinson dismiss that suggestion, he referred to Harden as one of the team's top defensive players.

"No, he's been one of our best defenders in these playoffs," Atkinson said. "I trust him - smart, great hands. Didn't think about that."

While it's possible Atkinson changes his stance on benching Harden, it doesn't sound like a major change will be made to his Game 2 lineup.

Harden isn't just struggling on the defensive side of the floor.

There's no question the Knicks attacked Harden every time they were on offense, but he wasn't just a liability on that end.

Harden went 5-of-16 from the field with six turnovers. The former MVP now has 48 career playoff games with as many or more turnovers than made field goals.

The Cavaliers will try to bounce back Thursday night when the Eastern Conference Finals resume at Madison Square Garden.

Oddsmakers have the Knicks favored to win Game 2. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 10:33 AM.