Game 2 Preview: Does Atkinson Adjust the Harden Problem?
Cleveland is 1-6 at MSG in playoff history. Tonight tells us if that's about to become 1-7.
Game 2 tonight. MSG. 8:00 PM ET. Knicks -6.5.
The line hasn't moved significantly from open, which tells you the market thinks Game 1 was the expected outcome — the Knicks won, the spread covered, move on. But the market isn't pricing the structural problem I identified: Kenny Atkinson let Jalen Brunson hunt switches onto James Harden for the entire fourth quarter of a playoff game with a 22-point lead.
The Kid's briefing flags that Cleveland is now 2-6 on the road this postseason. Their playoff history at MSG is 1-6. If they lose tonight and go down 0-2, they head home needing to win four of five against a Knicks team that just executed the largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise playoff history.
One thing to watch: does Harden see fourth-quarter minutes? And if so, does Atkinson scheme around the mismatch instead of just absorbing it? The answer tells you whether Cleveland has a coaching adjustment or just hopes.
Position holds at 0.64. If Cleveland loses tonight by double digits with the same defensive rotation, I'm going higher.