Undefeated no more. The Cleveland Cavaliers' winning streak stopped at seven games, and they've now fallen to 5-1 in the James Harden era. They're still one of the hottest teams in the league, and there's no shame in losing to the defending champions, but it might still be a sign of things to come.
Harden wasn't the only one to blame for the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If anything, he had a decent game, dropping 20 points on 14 shots with five boards, nine dimes, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers.
Nevertheless, that loss might have given Cavs fans a deja vu of his previous stops. At least, that was the case with renowned podcaster Bill Simmons. In the latest edition of his show with Zach Lowe, he had an interesting yet accurate take on Harden.
Bill Simmons explains the endlessly-doomed James Harden cycle
Simmons compared Harden to Jimmy Butler in the sense that they can both make themselves a seamless fit wherever they go. They're plug-and-play, selfless guys who only want to help the team at first before making everything about them:
"It's really interesting, when he can just jump into different basketball situations, and he's like a basketball chameleon," Simmons said. "It's like Jimmy (Butler) Harden!"
Of course, that's not necessarily the case in Cleveland yet. It's way too early to talk about how Harden could have a negative impact on the team's dynamic in the locker room. That said, he does a long history of doing so everywhere he's gone, so it makes sense to keep an eye open and have a reasonable degree of skepticism and PTSD with him.
Harden has said all the right things since he arrived in Cleveland. He looks happy, pressure-free, and his chemistry with Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen looks way ahead of schedule right now. The basketball part of the equation looks like a great fit.
That said, we've seen how quickly things can turn sour whenever the team starts losing or Harden doesn't get paid. He can make life uncomfortable for everyone around him. He's not afraid to speak his mind and do whatever it takes to get his way.
The Cavs still have plenty of time to make adjustments before the playoffs, and Harden raises their ceiling in ways Darius Garland simply could. Whether they will be able to turn the honeymoon into a lasting and happy marriage remains to be seen.