The Cleveland Cavaliers need James Harden to be better.
Harden's history is an infamous cloud hanging over the Cavaliers' run through the playoffs. Now, just one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals -- what would be the first such trip for most of the team, and the first for Harden in seven years -- Game 6 looms before them.
James Harden struggles in Game 6s
When Harden advanced deep into the playoffs earlier in his career, it often came from dominating the early rounds. If his team got into the pressure cooker of a deep series, he has tended to fall apart.
The track record speaks for itself. Harden has been on a plethora of really good teams, making the playoffs in every single season of his career. He has therefore played in a Game 6 a staggering 17 times.
His record in those games? 4-13.
That includes such self-destructions as Game 6 in 2017, when Harden was on the Houston Rockets, playing against the San Antonio Spurs. Down 3-2, the Rockets hosted a Spurs team playing without the injured Kawhi Leonard. Lose, and they would be eliminated. Win, and they forced a Game 7. With Leonard sitting out, the Rockets were clear favorites.
And they got punked, with Harden shooting 2-for-11 from the field with six turnovers and six fouls. The short-handed Spurs won 114-75. It was the ultimate no-show.
Another example could be Game 6 against the Boston Celtics just three seasons ago. Philadelphia was up 3-2 with a chance to put the series away at home, and Harden laid a complete egg. 4-for-16 from the field, five turnovers, a mere 13 points. He was -10 in a nine-point loss.
They keep coming. 5-for-20 and a -21 in 2015. 10-for-24 in 2018 as Harden once again surrendered a 3-2 series lead, this time to the dynasty Warriors. Against the Bucks in 2021, this time in a Brooklyn Nets uniform, Harden was -19 and got off only nine shots in total.
Harden is still struggling
Just two weeks ago, the Cavaliers traveled to Toronto up 3-2 with a chance to put the series away and get some much-needed rest. Instead, Harden went 5-for-14, hitting just a single 3-pointer, fading down the stretch as the Raptors won in overtime. Harden wasn't bad, but he wasn't the star that Cleveland needed.
It's possible that Harden is beginning to shake his demons. He came up huge at the end of Game 3 as the Cavaliers tied the series, although he has had some shockingly bad moments against the Pistons. He is still slinging the ball all over the gym, and he cannot take good defenders off the dribble anymore.
Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have never been to a Conference Finals before. Neither have Dean Wade, Sam Merrill or Jaylon Tyson. Kenny Atkinson has never coached past the second round, either. Cleveland hasn't done the feat without LeBron James in over three decades.
Friday night will be a chance to rewrite history, for the franchise and for James Harden. If he can shake off the demons of his past and thrive in his role, with Mitchell scoring and Mobley blocking everything in sight and Allen continuing to school Jalen Duren, then Cleveland can finally do it.
And give Harden some small drink from the fountain of redemption.
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