James Harden, Cavaliers on wrong side of NBA history after Knicks' Game 1 comeback

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks did what they had to do in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, and they overcame the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, 115-104.

It wasn't pretty, but in the end, what matters is that they won. Next up, the Knicks will head into Game 2 against the Cavs on Thursday.

Cavaliers star James Harden didn't have a good night with the Cavs. There has even been talk of benching Harden after his inconsistent showing in not only Game 1 but the entire playoffs.

James Harden and Cavs make troubling NBA history after loss to Knicks in Game 1

Harden only scored 15 points in the game, and he had six turnovers.

He and the Cavs were on the wrong side of NBA history. According to Field Level Media (h/t Reuters), the Knicks had the "second-biggest fourth-quarter comeback in an NBA playoff game and the biggest since April 29, 2012, when the Los Angeles Clippers trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by 24 points before earning a 99-98 win in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round series."

As for Harden's performance, in his defense, Knicks head coach Mike Brown admitted that the team was out to get Harden. When you're the best player on your squad, that's what happens. Plus, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn't call a timeout during the Knicks' 18-1 run, which kept New York's momentum going.

"It's no secret, we totally targeted James Harden," Brown told reporters after the game, according to SI.

"When I was in Golden State and we played Houston, we counted James Harden's dribbles. We told our guys he's dribbling close to 1,000 times a game," Brown added in his postgame news conference. "Keep picking him up full court and making him dribble. At the end of the game, it would wear him down."

Harden shouldn't feel too bad about his Game 1 showing, and the Cavs shouldn't be too nervous. He's come back from rough games before, including during the Detroit Pistons series.