The New York Knicks do not pull off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history if Jalen Brunson isn’t allowed to attack James Harden at every possible turn. Naturally, after seeing a 22-point lead devolve into an epic loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t let that happen again.
Just kidding. They will. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said so. Sort of.
Atkinson was asked after Game 1 whether he had any regrets about not putting a defensive substitution in for Harden as Brunson relentlessly went after him on switches. His answer is music to the Knicks’ ears:
Kenny Atkinson was asked if he thought of benching James Harden on defensive possessions at the end of Game 1. He replied, “No. He’s been one of our best defenders in these playoffs. I trust him. Smart. Great hands. Didn’t think about that.” pic.twitter.com/BARbOppYKf
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 20, 2026
In Atkinson’s defense, good coaches don’t throw players under the bus, let alone future Hall-of-Famers. The notion of benching Harden also borders on ridiculous. Even at 36, he is arguably the Cavs’ most critical playmaker.
Beyond that, coaches are hard-wired to trust their most important guys. There is a reason it took Mike Brown so long to bench Josh Hart down the stretch of Game 1. Atkinson’s view of Harden isn’t that much different.
Not that the Knicks should care about his intentions. All that matters, frankly, is that Cleveland’s faith in Harden remains strong enough for Brunson to keep feasting.
Having James Harden on the floor is a win for Jalen Brunson and the Knicks
As the All NBA Podcast notes, New York got Harden to switch into nine isolations during the fourth quarter and overtime. The Knicks averaged an utterly ridiculous “1.9 points per direct action” in these instances.
If guarding nine isos doesn’t seem like a lot to you, well, we humbly request that you reconsider. It is the exact opposite of “not a lot.” This was just the 30th time in the play-by-play era someone guarded eight isolations in a single quarter, and Harden surrendered more points per play than anyone else on the list:
Guarding 8 isolations in a single quarter is...something. It has happened only 30 times, Regular Season or Playoffs, in the entire Tracking Era. https://t.co/JyQdw6vxkE pic.twitter.com/WSiwvAGeLI
— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) May 20, 2026
While these returns fall on the extreme end of the spectrum, they will be somewhat replicable if the Cavs keep conceding switches with Harden. And so long as he’s on the floor, that may be exactly what they do.
Cleveland has defaulted to this since Harden came over from the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s similar to how the Knicks operate with Brunson. They will concede switches on Donovan Mitchell more often than not, and live with the results.
The Knicks should exploit this as long as they can
Cleveland will invariably make adjustments. Let’s not forget it built a 22-point lead in the first place. Had Atkinson called a timeout earlier into Brunson’s fourth-quarter avalanche or not gotten too cute with some of his lineups, the Cavs might be celebrating a win.
Still, there is only so much Cleveland can do to insulate Harden if he’s going to play. The Cavs can stash him on whoever they like. The Knicks will have anyone set a screen—guard, forward, center, doesn’t matter.
New York will also work off the ball to generate the switch before Brunson even has possession. There was a play in the first quarter where JB set a back screen on Harden, which forced Dean Wade to switch onto Anunoby, who the Beard was originally guarding. Brunson cut into the middle, and Towns found him for arguably his easiest two of the night.
Even if the Cavs manage to lower the volume with which Harden covers Brunson, they cannot entirely nuke it. For their part, the Knicks should poke and prod at this matchup as much as they can until or unless Cleveland flips its entire defense or does what Atkinson implies they won’t: play Harden less.
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