The Cleveland Cavaliers had their backs against the wall after two games in this second-round series against the Detroit Pistons, but they have flipped the script in the last three. Cleveland finally snatched home-court advantage from the Pistons on Wednesday night with a 117-113 overtime win on the road.
James Harden caught a lot of flack after the first two games of this series for his subpar performance, but he has stepped up in some of the biggest moments of Games 3, 4 and 5. On Wednesday night, he came up big again. The future Hall of Famer scored 30 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists.
After the game, Harden talked about finding his groove in the playoffs with a new team after being traded to Cleveland at the trade deadline.
Harden on getting more comfortable as series goes on:
"This is new for me. I've only been here 2 1/2 months. The things we're going through is all new. Learning how to be a second option and play off Donovan. … Finding when to be aggressive, when to be a playmaker." pic.twitter.com/fvj5UyCjod
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) May 14, 2026
“This is new for me. I’ve only been here two-and-a-half months,” Harden said. “The things we’re going through is all new. Learning how to be a second option and play off Donovan. When to be aggressive, when he has it going. Last game, second half, he did some things we haven’t seen in a very, very long time. And he’s capable of doing that every single game. Finding when to be aggressive, when to be a playmaker.
“And then offensively, finding what works for us, for me to be successful to get guys shots and open looks. It all comes together.”
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Harden had seven turnovers in a Game 1 loss in Detroit before scoring just 10 points in Game 2. He was also quiet to start Game 3 before coming through with some big baskets in the fourth quarter to get the Cavs on the board in the series.
With the pressure mounting, Harden has played his two best games of the series in Games 4 and 5. In Cleveland on Monday night, the Arizona State product scored 24 points and added 11 assists with just two turnovers as he and Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs to a huge win. Then, in Game 5, he put on one of his best games as a Cavalier to get Cleveland on the brink of the conference finals.
If the Cavs are going to close the Pistons out, they will likely need one more great game from Harden. If Games 4 and 5 are any indication, he has it in him.