In case you haven't visited Cleveland Cavaliers X in recent days, you should know that "Honeymoon Harden" has gained serious traction on social media as a nickname for Cleveland's newest guard.
Yes, [James Harden](https://kingjamesgospel.com/james-harden-trade-gives-cavaliers-game-changing-boost-in-one-crucial-area) has earned this fitting nickname through two excellent games in a Cavs uniform, providing fans with the blissful feeling that Koby Altman [truly cooked](https://kingjamesgospel.com/cavaliers-already-won-darius-garland-trade-and-its-obvious-only-week-later) at the deadline and turned this team into a surefire contender.
Still, it begs the question, when will the honeymoon end?
James Harden's idealistic start with the Cavs can't continue
------------------------------------------------------------
Adversity builds champions, and Harden hasn't gone through any in a Cavs uniform yet. Harden and Donovan Mitchell have looked flawless as a power duo, but to be playoff-proof, the two superstars will need to butt heads and pass through some fires together, coming out stronger on the other side.
It's simply the inevitable, human side of team building. Chemistry takes time, and it only grows stronger through tough ordeals. These first two games have been a sparkling indication that Cleveland can contend in the Harden era, but we still need to see how Harden and his Cavs teammates will solve uncomfortable problems together.
In the playoffs, Cleveland is bound to run into one or more of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, or Detroit Pistons, each of which has a core with more experience in the trenches together than the new-look Cavs. One of those cores, the Celtics, has won a championship in the recent past (even though some of its members have since been traded).
"Honeymoon Harden" is a glorious sight to behold in the present, with the trade still fresh, but its very connotation forecasts a humbling return to reality soon enough.
And that's a good thing. The sooner it happens, the better. Without experiencing some issues after the All-Star break, the Harden Cavs would enter the playoffs without being battle-tested, and they'd be at a fatal disadvantage because of it.
If and when Harden enters a cold streak in the coming weeks or is seen arguing with Mitchell in the huddle, fans will react with negativity, but they should do the opposite. This team needs to go through some difficult times together before the playoffs.
We still haven't seen what Harden looks like with a full Cavs rotation. Evan Mobley has been out, and his return will make Cleveland better, of course, but it might also create double-big lineups that clog what's been a wide-open landscape for Harden offensively through two games. Maybe that's where the first problems will arise.
There are regular-season challenges ahead, or must be, if Cleveland's goal is a title. Honeymoon Harden must soon come to an end, as all honeymoons do, and what immediately follows will determine the Cavaliers' 2026 destiny.