Mike Brown got plenty of experience going up against James Harden in the playoffs as a Golden State Warriors assistant. That informed how Brown’s New York Knicks defended — and exhausted — Harden in their Game 1 win.
In frank comments to the media, the Knicks head coach admitted that his players were consciously going after Harden on defense in the fourth quarter as they made up a 22-point deficit to force overtime. The result was 15 points from Jalen Brunson in the final period while Harden shot 1-for-6 in the 115-104 Cleveland Cavaliers loss.
James Harden’s ball dominance can exhaust him
When Brown was a Warriors assistant, the team faced Harden’s Houston Rockets in two tight playoff series in 2018 and 2019. Harden was at his peak then, winning MVP in 2018, so the Warriors needed to bring their A-game.
“We counted Harden’s dribbles,” Brown told reporters about his old team’s approach. “He’s dribbling 1,000 times a game. (Warriors forward Kevin Durant) was at 300 or right below, so keep picking him up at full speed. Because at the end of series, at the end of games, it’ll wear him down. Did it? Probably not. But you say stuff like that to give your guys a psychological advantage.”
The Knicks leaned on their large group of guards to harass Harden all game, giving 57 minutes to four different backup guards in Game 1. Then in the fourth quarter, Brunson repeatedly forced the Cavaliers to switch Harden onto him, and shot 7-for-9 in the quarter. For the game, Brunson went 7-for-11 with the 36-year-old Harden defending him and 8-for-18 against everyone else.
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