Harden’s first game as a Cavalier was a good one.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took over in the fourth quarter to win a thriller in Sacramento. Let’s see who won and lost the night.
WINNER – The Fourth Quarter
This one came down to the wire. That’s in part because of Sacramento’s lights-out shooting and Cleveland’s poor rebounding. But when push came to shove, the Cavs had two stars they could turn to.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 32 points in the fourth quarter, just when the team needed it most. It was devastating shot after devastating shot, as Mitchell got the ball rolling before Harden buried the Kings with his three-point shooting.
This wasn’t seamless. Mitchell and Harden took turns dicing up the Kings in a game where they might have led earlier if they had more synergy between each other. But hey, it’s their first game together. It took both Mitchell and Harden a few quarters to find each other’s groove. But with one prolific quarter, we saw how special this duo can be.
WINNER – James Harden’s Pick-and-Roll
There’s a new maestro in town, and he has a big fuzzy beard.
Harden is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. That’s something you probably already knew. But until you see him in a Cavs uniform dishing the ball to some of your favorite players — you don’t really understand just how great he is.
This wasn’t anything incredible. Harden finished with 23 points and 8 assists. But he consistently delivered the ball to his teammates in the pick-and-roll. Harden was finding them on their way to the rim, whether it be Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson, or Craig Porter.
Harden’s instincts as a 6’5” dimer give this offense a new wrinkle. He shredded Sacramento’s attempts at trapping him, showing supreme poise in accepting the pressure and then getting the ball out at precisely the right time. He’s a basketball savant who is now surrounded by connective passers and competent play finishers.
The Cavaliers have always, in my opinion, been at their best when the offense is leading the charge. Sure, they’ve had the backbone of a defensive team for years, but it’s their offensive explosions that took them from good to great last season.
Getting back to that level hasn’t been easy. Injuries and poor shooting held them back early in the season. But now? They have a brand new engine that’s ready to get them burning rubber again.
LOSER – Three-Point Defense
I’ll cut the Cavs a little bit of slack. You can’t always control when the other team has an outlier night shooting the ball. For example, Russell Westbrook and Nique Clifford are shooting below 35% from deep this season, yet they combined for 9-13 shooting in the first three quarters.
No one else on the Kings had more than one three-pointer entering the fourth quarter. That’s tough.
Westbrook and Clifford’s outlier nights almost single-handedly kept the Kings in this one. But I can’t completely dismiss this as poor shooting luck for the Cavs. After all, it’s their job to contest and limit shots. Especially once an opponent is in a rhythym.
Cleveland’s rotations were a step slow tonight. Their defensive rebounding was also an issue, as the Kings had 15 offensive rebounds. Tighter rotations and a better effort on the glass would have cleaned up a handful of the open three-point attempts Sacramento generated.
WINNER – Jarrett Allen
Speaking of Harden’s passing in the pick-and-roll, let’s talk about the player who will benefit the most from the Beard’s arrival.
Allen is going to be living in paradise for the foreseeable future. It felt like he received a paint touch on every screen he set for Harden, often catching the ball with enough space to go straight up for a layup. That’s a testament to Harden’s threat as a scorer, as the Kings spent more time worrying about him than covering Allen’s roll.
But I don’t want to give Harden all of the credit.
We’ve seen that Allen can be a crafty and creative finisher around the rim. Getting the ball to him in the short roll is one part of the equation. From there, we saw Allen score using his post-hook, drop-step, and up-and-under move.
Allen finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and didn’t miss on his first 11 shot attempts.
The Cavs have leaned on Allen heavily with Evan Mobley on the sidelines. He’s taken more offensive responsibility in stride and deserves all the credit in the world for holding down the fort.
Category: General Sports
