James Harden doesn’t exactly have the best playoff reputation, but for the last two games, he’s given the Cleveland Cavaliers some great minutes. He’s slowly trying to dispel the narrative that he’s not a postseason guy. And considering that he’s helped the Cavs bounce back from a 0-2 deficit to a 2-2 series, it may be working.
When the Cavaliers traded for Harden, they wanted a guy who could help run their offense and give Donovan Mitchell some reliable support in the backcourt, but they also wanted experience. And even though Harden doesn’t have the best postseason track record, he’s seemingly slowly turning things around.
And in doing so, he may be starting to (at least a little bit) dispel the narrative that has followed him for years.
James Harden has been much better, and it's helping the Cavaliers
The Pistons won both home games in their second-round series against the Cavaliers, taking a dominant 2-0 lead. It looked like they could roll into the Eastern Conference finals with relative ease.
Instead, the Cavaliers bounced back, and while Harden didn’t have any monster performances, he was solid. And with Mitchell in the driver’s seat, that’s all he needed to be.
In Game 3, Harden put up 19 points, two rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 8-of–14 from the field and 3-of-7 from deep range. He also only turned the ball over three times.
Then, in Game 4, Harden played even better. He put up 24 points, 11 assists, two steals, and a block while shooting 5-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from deep. He only turned the ball over twice.
But perhaps even more important was his first half in Game 4. As the Cavaliers were struggling to get much offense from Mitchell, Harden stepped up.
In the first half alone, Harden had 15 points and six assists, shooting 3-of-6 from deep. He led the team in scoring, keeping the Cavaliers within striking distance of the Pistons.
Harden struggled mightily in the first two games of the series.
In Game 1, he had 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, but he shot just 1-of-7 from deep and turned the ball over seven times. Then, in Game 2, he had 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers while shooting 3-of-13 from the field and 1-of-4 from deep.
After a rocky start, Harden has turned up his play. He’s doing just enough to help the Cavs win and maybe, just maybe, he’s starting to dispel the narrative that has followed him for years.
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