New York Knicks Stefan Bondy Jalen Brunson kept on attacking James Harden — it was a predictable Knicks masterclass By Stefan Bondy Published May 20, 2026, 12:58 a.m. ET Jalen Brunson hits a jumper over James Harden during Knicks' win over Cavaliers on May 18, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google It was spectacular and predictable.
Jalen Brunson, the best ball handler and shot creator on the court, just kept finding himself in isolations against James Harden, a historic choke artist who moves too deliberately and, when tired, plays defense like it’s pickup at the YMCA.
Time and again this happened in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Game 1. And time and again it finished with the ball in the bottom of the net, two points added to the Knicks’ scoreboard.
The final result was a historic 22-point fourth-quarter comeback, keyed by Brunson, giving the Knicks a 1-0 series lead and reiterating their position as the favorite to reach the franchise’s first Finals of the 21st Century. It certainly wasn’t easy Tuesday. But, again, the 115-104 overtime win felt predictable once the game settled into Harden vs. Brunson in crunch time.
