Kenny Atkinson Has Blunt Response When Asked About Benching James Harden

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Tuesday night’s Game 1 matchup against the New York Knicks, ultimately resulting in a 115-104 final score for the Knicks in overtime.

The Knicks hunted for switches that put Jalen Brunson in 1-on-1 situations with James Harden, continuously go after the veteran guard down the stretch. After the game, New York head coach Mike Brown admitted that his team was “totally targeting” Harden as they made their furious comeback.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was asked if he ever considered benching Harden to avoid these late-game matchups.

"No. He's been one of our best defenders in these playoffs. I trust him. Smart. Great hands. Didn't think about that,” Atkinson replied.

More Basketball:NBA Conference Finals Begin With Historic Playoff Milestone

Brunson scored 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, with Harden as his primary defender for many of those buckets.

Brown emphasized that the Knicks were trying to wear down Harden throughout the game in order to take advantage of these 1-on-1 matchups at the end of the contest.

“Cleveland’s guards, they played 50% more minutes than our guards. Could that take a toll? We told our guys it could take a toll, so stay with it,” Brown said after the game. “You hope telling your guys it gives a little bit of a psychological advantage.”

More Basketball:Mike Breen Defends His Objectivity Amid Questions About Knicks Bias

Atkinson and the Cavaliers clearly have some adjustments to make as they prepare for Game 2, which will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 9:13 AM.