Cavaliers' James Harden (Image: NBA)
The Cleveland Cavaliers were swept in the Eastern Conference finals by the New York Knicks, but starting shooting guard James Harden claimed in the postgame press conference that the Cavaliers are the better team.
After a 130-93 home loss, Harden’s comments are questionable. The Cavaliers’ effort stood out for the wrong reasons—not just one player, but the whole team was slow getting back on defense, jogging or not hustling, whether that’s on coaching, ownership or the players. That’s embarrassing.
Maybe you could argue the Cavaliers were worn down after going to seven games against the Toronto Raptors in the first round and Detroit in the second round. But that’s still no excuse to play like this in an elimination game and get dominated.
Evan Mobley wasn’t good. Harden wasn’t great. Donovan Mitchell was the only player really contributing for Cleveland.
Still, head coach Kenny Atkinson called this season a success after reaching the Eastern Conference finals, especially after losing in the second round last year to the Indiana Pacers, who went on to make the NBA Finals.
Who knows if the Cavaliers will be back in this position, especially with Tyrese Halliburton and the Pacers expected to be healthy next season.
The Cavs also traded point guard Darius Garland for Harden in the middle of the season, hoping to make a deep run. But they got swept, and it’s clear this team needs leadership.
Any talk of a LeBron James return seems unlikely at this point. The Cavaliers are not in a good spot.
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