Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
The Cavaliers find themselves trailing 0-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and James Harden’s defensive struggles are the primary reason why. Up to this point in the playoffs, the Cavaliers haven’t needed Harden to play exceptionally well. They’ve played two relatively lower-caliber offensive teams thus far, with not many scoring threats. Well, that’s not the case anymore. Currently, the Knicks have the second best offense in the playoffs. They have a plethora of players who can score in bunches.
If you want to see why I thought the Knicks were Finals contenders before the season even started, check out this article: The Most Slept On Contender In The NBA
Whenever the Knicks needed a bucket, they got the ball to Brunson. Then they’d force Harden to guard him through a screen, knowing he won’t fight over it. Then all it takes is a simple move, and Brunson goes right by him. Giving him room to operate by the nail where he’s lethal. When he gets to the free-throw line, he’s got infinite tools in the tool bag. He has an elite pull-up jumper he can go to. A quick hesitation move that lets him beat the helping big. He can kick it out to a shooter when the defense collapses. He’s also capable of hitting any cutters, cutting from the baseline or the 45. When Brunson gets to that spot right under the top of the key, there’s nothing the Cavs can do.
So what do the Knicks do with Brunson on defense? Just like Harden, Brunson is one of the worst defenders in the league. He’s a small, undersized guard with not great lateral quickness.
They have Brunson guard Dean Wade, or whoever the worst overall offensive player on the floor is for the Cavs, because they know Dean Wade is never the guy who’s going to be responsible for creating his own shot. So why don’t the Cavaliers do this with Harden? Well, they try, but the problem is that every player who steps on the floor for the Knicks is a legitimate threat to score the ball. And whenever Brunson gets caught with a screen on defense, he at least tries to get over the screen, or he has the other defender help him out on a temporary blitz. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers switch every time, and then Harden’s out on a lonely island.
If the Cavaliers want any chance of winning this series, they need to find a way to hide him on defense. If not, they might need to bench him.
I know that may sound crazy, benching a future Hall of Famer. But if Harden isn’t contributing much offensively (which he hasn’t thus far this playoffs) and he’s a huge liability on defense, then the Cavs don’t really have much of a choice. At least if they do this, it would give more ball touches to Donovan Mitchell down the stretch and slow the Knicks’ offense down.
If the Cavaliers can’t find a way to hide Harden, this series is already over.
More From Hoops are Home
- Is It Time To Bench Harden?
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- West First Round: Who’s Advancing and Who’s Done
- East First Round Forecast: The 4 Teams Heading to the Semifinals
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