Cavaliers guard James Harden defends Knicks forward Mikal Bridges
Cavaliers guard James Harden defends Knicks forward Mikal Bridges
The Knicks swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals, won the championship, and now get to watch the Cavaliers make a very expensive attempt to come back stronger. Cleveland brought James Harden back on a three-year, $97 million deal.
Harden is still a serious player. He averaged 23.6 points, 8.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds last season, and his NBA profile still reads like the resume of a player who can run an offense. Cleveland did not make this move for nostalgia. It wants another crack at New York.
The contract also makes the stakes plain. The Cavaliers saw what the Knicks looked like in that series and decided their response was to keep their highest-usage guard in the building.
Cavaliers guard James Harden dribbles against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals
James Harden handles the ball against the Knicks. Photo: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
The Knicks are the Eastern Conference target
I keep coming back to how quickly the East has turned. The Knicks did not spend the summer wondering whether anyone would take them seriously. Their rivals are making moves because New York put a championship banner over the league’s most crowded conference.
Harden does not guarantee Cleveland anything. He does give it another late-clock creator, another high-volume playmaker and somebody with enough experience to keep a playoff game from speeding up. The Knicks know exactly how much that can matter.
James Harden changes the next Knicks-Cavaliers chapter
The sweep is still the sweep. Cleveland cannot erase it with a contract. It can make the next series harder, and that is the entire point of keeping Harden around.
For New York, this is the cost of being on top. Every East contender is going to measure its moves against the champs. The Cavaliers just put $97 million behind that idea.