The Indiana Pacers have nothing on this! The New York Knicks stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, storming back from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and earning a 115-104 win in overtime. It was a complete about-face from last year’s ECF, where the Knicks blew a big lead against the Pacers. Hey. That was only a 14-point comeback! James Harden's ineptitude on defense played a big role in the comeback. Credit Jalen Brunson for exposing him.Brunson cut Harden up and nailed a deep 3-pointer to make it 94-89. A few possessions later, Harden foolishly overcommitted on a potential double team on Brunson, leaving Mikal Bridges open to nail a corner 3, which made it 99-96. On the Knicks next possession, Harden was in the middle of nowhere, guarding no one, leaving Landry Shamet wide open for another 3 to tie the game 99-99. After the Pacers retook a 2-point lead, Brunson got around Harden to tie it up, ultimately sending it to overtime. It didn’t get better there. Brunson got past Harden easily multiple times, helping the Knicks build a lead they never relinquished. Brunson scored 38 points, with 15 of those coming in the 4th quarter. Harden, meanwhile, scored 15, but shot only 1-for-8 from 3-point range. Perhaps his offensive struggles leaked into his defense. When you live by the Harden sword, you die by it sometimes too, especially in the playoffs, when defense is a premium. Expect that to continue. Brunson attacked Harden anytime the latter was guarding him. That led directly to the Knicks 18-1 run that got them back in the game after trailing 93-71 with 7:52 to play. Harden went for reach-around steals every time Brunson breezed past. That put more pressure on his teammates to slide out of position, leading to open shots for the Knicks. Harden never recovered on his rotational defense.The Cavs will surely try to adjust off Harden guarding Brunson. Dean Wade had done a good job holding Brunson down early in the game. When it came to crunch time, Brunson targeted Harden and attacked him relentlessly. The NBA playoffs are a game of adjustments. The Knicks biggest adjustment has to be finding ways to make Harden the primary defender up top. He’s outmatched no matter who he faces there. No matter what, the Knicks have a gameplan moving forward. Attack Harden. At every chance. Every time. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow