After falling in Game 2 on Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers are down 0-2 to the Detroit Pistons in the conference semifinals matchup.
While there may be multiple reasons why the Cavs face this deficit, the biggest reason by far is the underwhelming play by former MVP James Harden.
More: Donovan Mitchell admits he was hypocritical to complain about the free-throw disparity
Mainly, fans are always going to let players hear it when they have bad games in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean experts and analysts won't get in on the action.
Perk doesn't think Harden should receive the minutes he plays
NBA champion and ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins, didn't hold back when discussing Harden's disastrous performance in Thursday's loss.
"He should not be playing the minutes that he's playing right now. James Harden has been a liability on both ends of the floor," Perkins bluntly stated.
It's hard to argue with Perkins, especially with the all-star only scoring 10 points on 3-13 shooting, three assists, and committing four turnovers.
In fact, Harden has committed more turnovers than assists so far in this series.
Now, poor postseason play is often associated with Harden. Still, when the team traded for the future Hall of Famer in February, it was believed that the pairing with Donovan Mitchell would be enough to get this team to the finals.
Although that can still happen, Cleveland can kiss those hopes goodbye if they don't answer the call in Games 3 and 4.
Both Mitchell and Harden are under immense pressure, as they have struggled to advance past the second round in the playoffs.
Also, for Harden, who turns 37 over the summer, this season could be his final attempt at reaching the NBA Finals to compete for a championship, which is the only thing left for the guard to accomplish.
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