James Harden Sends Defiant Message as Cavs Face 2-0 Deficit

For the second straight series, the Cleveland Cavaliers face a 2-0 deficit.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Cleveland fell into a 0-2 hole against the Detroit Pistons before eventually winning the series in seven games. The Eastern Conference finals is following a similar trajectory after the Cavaliers lost the first two games of the series to the New York Knicks.

Following Thursday night’s 109-93 loss, guard James Harden blamed the team’s struggles on not being able to make open shots, rather than anything the Knicks did defensively.

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“We just hit no shots,” Harden said. “We had a lot of open shots. Make shots, hit a couple of those, win the ball game. Throughout the entire game, our process was right. I don’t know if it was tired legs, you know, whatever the case is going to be, but we had a lot of really good looks. It’s part of the game.”

Sam Merrill and Max Strus struggled the most from the floor on Thursday night, going a combined 2-for-15 from the floor and just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.

Harden, meanwhile, finished the game 6-of-15 shooting with 18 points [good for second on the team behind Donovan Mitchell’s 26 points], six rebounds and two assists.

The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3, which tips off on Saturday, May 23 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 10:40 AM.