It feels like it was almost a lifetime ago when the Philadelphia Sixers traded Ben Simmons for James Harden, thinking the latter would help Joel Embiid win a championship. The vibes were high in the beginning, but it wasn't enough to keep it from going up in flames in the end, which is the stage that Cleveland is already in.
The Cavaliers traded Darius Garland for Harden before the deadline, needing to do something to put the team in a position to make a deep playoff run. At first, it felt like Harden truly was the player they were missing. Sound familiar?
Three months later, the Cavaliers are down 2-0 in the second round against the Pistons after needing all seven games to beat the Raptors in the first round. Cleveland got Harden to help Donovan Mitchell, not hurt the team in the playoffs. So far, though, that's what he's done.
Harden had just 10 points in Game 2 on Thursday, shooting 3-of-13 from the field and 0-of-4 from three. He added six rebounds, three assists, and one steal, but he also had four turnovers.
Since the start of the playoffs, the guard has been shooting 42.3% from the field and 32.2% from three, while averaging 5.2 turnovers per game. That's not exactly a recipe for success.
James Harden is hurting the Cavaliers when they need him most
Philadelphia gets it. In the 23 playoff games Harden played with the Sixers, he shot 39.9% from the field and 37.3% from deep. He averaged 3.6 turnovers per game. The sample size is bigger than the nine he has played in for Cleveland, but the trend remains the same — you can't consistently rely on him, especially in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers thought that the Harden trade would be what they needed to push through to a title, just like the Sixers (and the Rockets, Nets, and Clippers). He helped turn Cleveland's regular season around, but that wasn't the main motivation behind the trade. What happened after April 12 was. So far, it's not gone in the team's favor.
Maybe Harden will be able to turn a corner in Game 3, hitting shots, helping facilitate the offense, and taking care of the ball. How will he handle that pressure? You can look at his track record for that answer. The Cavaliers have no choice but to hope he can put it all together.
If that's what you have to rely on, it's already over. Philadelphia knows that. Cleveland is already beginning to understand it, too.
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