The New York Knicks trailed 93-71 with 7:52 left in regulation, and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked fully prepared to hand the Knicks a crushing defeat to open the Eastern Conference Finals.
But then Jalen Brunson happened. He helped the Knicks erase a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and clinch a spectacular 115-104 overtime thriller on Tuesday night.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks Target James Harden in Game 1 Comeback
Donovan Mitchell carved up the Knicks for three quarters, building a commanding 93-71 lead with under eight minutes left in regulation. Mitchell’s 29 points and a suffocating defense had the Cavs headed to a blowout Game 1 win.
But just then, Brunson decided to turn Madison Square Garden into his personal playground. He engineered an insane 18-1 fourth-quarter run as the Knicks went on to outscore Cleveland 44-11.
The catalyst for New York’s historic rally? A deliberate, ruthless offensive scheme zeroing in specifically on James Harden.
Harden struggled. Big time.
He finished the night with just 15 points while shooting a miserable 1-for-8 from 3-point range. He logged 42 minutes and recorded more turnovers (6) than made field goals (5).
Mikal Bridges capitalized on the dismal defense, chipping in 18 points, while OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Josh Hart added 13 each.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith did not hold back during his postgame coverage. He pointed directly at Harden’s defensive liabilities as the main reason behind Cleveland’s shocking collapse.
“Seven minutes left they were down 22 and then all of a sudden Jalen Brunson goes ballistic. Literally (he) should be arrested for the assault that he put on James Harden,” Smith said on SportsCenter.
“Just abused him at every single turn, annihilated him, kept going by him, scored like five or six straight baskets.”
.@stephenasmith joins SportsCenter to react to the New York Knicks’ comeback win in Game 1 of the ECF 🍿 pic.twitter.com/W2sRwgEYrO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 20, 2026
“And then it got to a point where seemingly anybody who attempted a shot, it was James Harden in the vicinity,” Smith continued. “It ain’t just Jalen Brunson that should be arrested for assault it’s the rest of the Knicks because everybody at that point was targeting James Harden.”
According to ESPN Analytics, the Cavaliers held a 99.9% chance of winning before the Knicks launched their fourth-quarter assault to spark their largest comeback playoff win in franchise history.
The Cavs had a 99.9% chance to win with 7 minutes left…
The Knicks are really about to turn 0.1% into reality. pic.twitter.com/2UTH7YJ0p8
— Novig (@Novig) May 20, 2026
This was also the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97), trailing only the Los Angeles Clippers’ comeback from 24 down to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the 2012 first-round series.
Harden has to improve his offensive game to justify his spot on the floor during closing stretches.
If he fails to produce points and relieve pressure off Mitchell, his defensive limitations become impossible to ignore.
Against a Knicks side that has caught fire, the Cavaliers absolutely won’t survive another fourth quarter where the 11-time All-Star gives them zero resistance on one end and zero production on the other.
