The Cavaliers lost Game 1 against the Knicks in overtime, 115-104, after blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead. New York led 23-16 after the first quarter, but Cleveland outscored the Knicks 77-48 from then until 7:39 of the fourth quarter. After that point, Cleveland was outscored 44-11 for the remainder of the game. James Harden’s late-game performance included 15 points, six turnovers, and 31% shooting, along with a combined 1-10 three-point record with Donovan Mitchell over the final 13 minutes. The primary issue was Harden’s defense, where the Knicks repeatedly isolated Jalen Brunson against him, scoring efficiently on those possessions.
"The Knicks won the game in overtime, 115-104, while playing about 16 total minutes of good basketball. Both teams started terribly, but New York led 23-16 after the first quarter. From that point until the 7:39 mark of the fourth quarter, the Cavs outscored the Knicks 77-48. I can see you doing some quick math in your head, and yes, it's true: that means that for the rest of the game the Cavs got beat 44-11."
"Harden followed up one of his vintage no-shows in Game 7 of the Pistons series with another stupefying performance that was difficult to watch for empathetic types, but delicious for those of us with a hater's heart. Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined to go 1-10 for three points over the game's final 13 minutes, but Mitchell at least had scored 29 up to that point. Harden would finish the game with 15 points and six turnovers while shooting 31 percent from the floor."
"And yet it wasn't even all those clanked clutch-time jumpers that did the Cavaliers in. It was Harden's defense, which was built on some of the most pathetic effort I've ever seen in a playoff game. At some point the Knicks theorized that if they just got Harden switched onto Jalen Brunson on every possession and let their star scoring guard isolate against the beleaguered sweatball, they would score every time. They were correct: Harden was put into eight isolations during the fourth quarter, and the Knicks scored 1.88 points per possession on those plays."
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