Stephen A. Smith Repeats Arrest Call After Jalen Brunson Drops 15 Fourth-Quarter Points on James Harden
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 20
Stephen A. Smith Repeats Arrest Call After Jalen Brunson Drops 15 Fourth-Quarter Points on James Harden
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 20
On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith renewed his claim that Jalen Brunson should be “arrested” after targeting James Harden in the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback.
Brunson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, repeatedly attacking Harden as New York erased a 22-point deficit against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals opener.
Smith said the breakdown was not only on Harden, arguing coach Kenny Atkinson left him “on an island” without timeouts or defensive help during the late-game surge.
Harden finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 1-of-8 from 3, numbers Smith cited while questioning whether the veteran can answer offensively later in the series.
New York's strategy of attacking Harden won Game 1, but is this one-dimensional approach sustainable for an entire seven-game series?
Who is more to blame for the Cavaliers' historic meltdown: James Harden for his poor play or Coach Atkinson for his questionable timeout strategy?
After his defensive collapse, must James Harden abandon his new playmaker role and become a 'prolific' scorer for the Cavaliers to win?