Did another poor James Harden Game 7 alter Cleveland’s long-term plan?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have won two Game 7s — beating the Toronto Raptors in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday — so far in the NBA playoffs, but James Harden has not shaken his career-long reputation for poor individual performances in big games.
Harden posted 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the Cavaliers’ Game 7 win over the Raptors on May 3, but he shot 3-of-9 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from three.
Similarly, while the Cavaliers blew out the Pistons on Sunday, Harden only had nine points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor (0-of-6 from three). Somehow, he had a game-high +32 plus-minus.
Cleveland couldn’t have been surprised by this. As previously noted, Harden has struggled in big games since his days at Arizona State. Last season, Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers took the Denver Nuggets to a Game 7, and Harden had as many turnovers as made field goals.
The Cavaliers knew exactly who they were getting when they acquired the 11-time All-Star from the Clippers around the February trade deadline. So, they haven’t been swayed by his inconsistent playoff performance thus far.
“Harden wanted contract certainty after this season, and the Clippers made it clear at midseason that they hadn’t decided whether to pick up his $42 million team option — $13 million guaranteed — for next season,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Monday. “When both sides showed their cards, Harden’s representation got permission to find a team willing to commit to him. The Cavs were willing.”
Windhorst continued, “Though a formal agreement is not allowed to be completed before the offseason, there is an understanding that the Cavs plan to work out a new deal to retain Harden, sources said. Before the move, they must have had an understanding because Harden could have vetoed any trade.”
The Cavaliers will go as far as Donovan Mitchell can take them. Given how well the New York Knicks have played in the playoffs, Mitchell could play out of his mind, and the Cavaliers still lose in the Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, that’s likely.
It’ll be interesting to see how the tenor on Harden changes if the Cavaliers bow out in ugly fashion against the Knicks.
