The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped a close one. Just when it seemed that they were about to drop their third game in a row, they rallied behind some strong defense and clutch shot-making to come back and secure a 125-120 win.
The Toronto Raptors made the most of Dean Wade's absence from the starting lineup. The Cavs lacked their best perimeter defender, and coach Kenny Atkinson must reconsider that adjustment for the remainder of the series.
Regardless, James Harden put the team on his shoulders to justify why they traded for him in the first place. However, as good as he was, he still had more turnovers (6) than assists (5), so the fans cannot be fooled by this performance.
James Harden is still leaving plenty to be desired for the Cavs
It's not a secret that James Harden is one of the greatest three-level scorers and playmakers of all time. His ability to pull the strings of the offense in the pick and roll, go to the line, and drop buckets from all over the court is All-World.
That said, he's also known for being the ultimate playoff choker. Even when it hasn't been entirely on him, he's gotten the short end of the stick in some tough situations, and it might be impossible to turn the narrative around at this point.
However, it's not like he's done himself any favors. Harden has struggled mightily whenever guarded by Scottie Barnes or Jamal Shead. He's been erratic and careless with the rock in his hands, failing to make passes he would've made with his eyes closed in the regular season.
Harden admitted that most of the issues they've dealt with against the Raptors have been self-inflicted. Props to him for taking accountability and being humble enough to acknowledge that they haven't been up to the task.
Nevertheless, that only makes this situation all the more frustrating. He knows what he needs to do and has proven over and over that he can do it for 17 years now, yet, for whatever reason, he turns into an entirely different player as soon as game 82 is on the books.
Harden deserves credit for taking over and leading the team to a much-needed win in Game 5, especially with Donovan Mitchell not being at his best. However, he still has plenty of work to do to get some slack after consecutive duds against a team the Cavs should've beaten at least once.
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