The New York Knicks are one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. With a 121-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks have now won 10 straight post-season games, with nine of their 11 playoff wins in 2026 having been by double digits. The Knicks are one W away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999GettyWhile Jalen Brunson and co have been balling out, on the other side of the floor, perhaps nobody has struggled as much as Cavs guard James Harden. In what was a must-win game for Cleveland, the 17-year veteran, who is still searching for his first ring, mustered just 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with five rebounds, five assists and a steal. However, he went scoreless in the fourth quarter, largely due to the fact he didn’t attempt a single shot. But Harden also racked up a game-high six turnovers – the second time in this series he has committed six giveaways – with his defensive struggles once again taking center stage at Rocket Arena. His defensively display, or lack thereof, only fueled the narrative that he disappears when the lights are shining at their the brightest further. View Tweet: https://t.co/gcRJP9TezKWith clips surfacing on social media that show Harden making little effort to defend his opponents, and offering virtually no resistance at the rim, the 36-year-old was met with, yet again, a plethora of criticism. “James Harden is a LITERAL CONE on defense ,” BrickCenter wrote.“In a must-win home game, James Harden went 1-7 from 3 with 5 turnovers. In the biggest playoff games, he plays with no follow-me fire, no apparent urgency or energy,” media personality Skip Bayless wrote on X. “In the postseason, he has too often displayed loser intangibles. Congrats, Cavs.”The Knicks highlighted Harden’s defense as an area of weakness they could exploit very early on in the series, doing so repeatedly in Game 1 which allowed them to erase a 22-point deficit.Harden’s defense this series has seen a wrath of criticismGettyHarden appears to have disappeared once again when his team need him the mostGettyHarden, meanwhile, has now racked up 12 turnovers through three outings, and a whopping 79 in 17 outings of the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs — the most of any player in the league.For context, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell has the second-most on the team with 43. NFL power couple in attendance While the bright lights of Madison Square Garden attract some of the biggest celebrity names to sit courtside and watch the Knicks, the Rocket Arena wasn’t shy of having some star power in the building either. In fact, one of the NFL‘s biggest power couples was in attendance. Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, a Cleveland native, was there to watch his beloved hometown Cavaliers alongside his global pop star fiancée Taylor Swift.Despite the team being down in the fourth quarter, Kelce sought to bring the energy to the arena, and was captured on the jumbotron chugging a can of Garage Beer, that he and his brother Jason, co-own. View Tweet: https://t.co/Um9R8V5X3kIt all got too much for Kelce who was seen taking a quick snooze courtsideGettyWhile the fans were loving it, Swift was not so much, with the 36-year-old singer barely able to watch and seen shielding her eyes with what looked like embarrassment. At the end of the night, though, it looked as though things had taken its toll on the three-time Super Bowl champion, who was seen slumped over in his seat on Swift’s shoulder taking a quick snooze. Perhaps he was mimicking Harden’s efforts on defense. Stay up to date with the NBA across all our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.