Anyone who’s familiar with the playoff history of Cavaliers guard James Harden knows how desperately he needs a win right now. Despite being on plenty of stacked teams over the years, he has never won the championship. Furthermore, he hasn’t been out of the second round in eight years and hasn’t been to a Finals since long before that (2012).
None of that’s to mention his own personal history of playoff disappointments, which includes a 2017 Game 6 loss to the Spurs and this year’s Game 1 against the Pistons, when he dropped 22 points on 40.0% shooting and seven turnovers. Today, he wasn’t any better, and it only fed the narrative of Harden being a playoff choker.
“I never want to hear from you Harden fan boys again,” wrote ‘Jacob the Clipper’ on X. “Bro has more turnovers than made baskets today. He is not that guy, never has been. He is who we thought he was, a great season player, but when the pressure of the playoffs comes, he is garbage.”
Against the Pistons in Game 2 tonight, Harden struggled from the opening tip, dropping 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 23.1% shooting (0-4 shooting from three). He was a team-worst -15 in 36 minutes, serving as a major liability to the Cavaliers, who lost 107-97. The only thing worse than Harden’s performance was the backlash he faced after the game. Had it not been for the Cavaliers having two more games at home, things might have gotten really ugly.
“Today was James Harden’s 182nd career playoff game. It was the 36th time he’s had 3 or fewer made field goals,” noted iconic NBA analyst Nick Wright on X. “Nearly 20% of his career playoff games. It was the 46th time that he’s had as many or more turnovers than made field goals. More than 25% of his career playoff games.”
James Harden only arrived in Cleveland back in February, and the vibes were immaculate going into the playoffs. In 26 regular-season games for the Cavaliers, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 46.6% shooting and 43.5% shooting from three. This series, however, has seen a major regression for Harden, and it starts with how he’s been handling the ball.
“You could point the finger at a few things for the Cavs being down 0-2 to the Pistons, but this has been an awful start to the series for James Harden,” wrote NBA insider Brett Siegel. “Just holding onto the ball and playing with it too long. Can’t do that against Detroit.”
For Cavs fans, this is a nightmare scenario. They traded young point guard Daruis Garland in the Harden deal, only to be rewarded with horrible shooting and questionable decision-making throughout the playoffs. It’s been a career-long issue for James, and it’s one that Clevelanders are only just now understanding for themselves.
“All the discourse around James Harden being a playoff underperformer didn’t even come close to reality,” wrote one fan on X. “Every single take calling him a playoff choker, a postseason fraud, a guy who disappears when the lights get bright were all wrong. He’s f_king worse than they said.”
Keep in mind, this is all for a guy in Harden who was once considered one of the game’s top scorers. During his run with the Rockets, he led the team to prosperity, proving unstoppable with the ball in his hands. But those days are a long way off now, and Harden will have to step up his game if he wants to put himself back in the good graces of the fans.
“He just has to be better, man,” one X user wrote. “I know his counting stats haven’t been the worst this postseason, but I’ve watched every Cavs playoff game and I don’t think Harden has held up his end of the bargain. Another night where he has the same amount or more turnovers as made field goals.”
At 36, Harden is no longer in the prime of his career, but he has shown in recent seasons that he can still play at an elite level. That’s why the Cavaliers took such a big gamble with his acquisition, and that’s why they need him to show up and carry the offense as we’ve seen so many times before.
As much as he’ll try, Donovan Mitchell cannot do it alone. He needs that offense partner in the backcourt to draw the defense and keep up with a Pistons team that finished first in the East at 60-22. With a 2-0 lead, Detroit now has full momentum in this series, but the Cavaliers will have a chance to respond in Game 3. If they can win and avoid a 0-3 deficit, it could be the start of a dramatic turnaround and epic redemption arc for the 11x All-Star.
