James Harden enters his first postseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers seeking to get over the hump and capture his first NBA title in Year 17.
While Harden’s past playoff failures have made some pundits reluctant to back Cleveland, the 11-time All-Star seemingly couldn’t care less.
James Harden Not ‘Dwelling’ on Past NBA Playoff Letdowns
Harden has cemented himself as one of the league’s all-time most gifted shot creators and playmakers since being drafted No. 3 in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The 36-year-old boasts three scoring titles (2018 to 2020) and two assist titles (2017, 2023), peaking in the late-2010s with the Houston Rockets as a perennial MVP candidate and one-time MVP winner (2018).
Still, Harden’s illustrious career has been somewhat overshadowed by repeated letdowns in high-stakes postseason moments. The star guard often follows up big-time performances with nightmarish shooting nights, especially when facing elimination.
This includes Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors when he recorded just 14 points on 2-for-11 shooting (18.2%) and an NBA playoff record 12 turnovers as Houston fell 104-90 on the road.
Similarly, in Game 6 of the 2017 West semifinals against the undermanned San Antonio Spurs, Harden logged just 10 points on 2-for-11 shooting (18.2%) and 6 turnovers before fouling out in a lopsided 114-75 home loss.
His postseason shortcomings have since carried over to his stops with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, as he logged single-digit scoring efforts in elimination contests for both franchises.
Still, Cleveland is banking on Harden to be the missing piece that can take its Donovan Mitchell-led core to the next level. Speaking ahead of the fourth-seeded Cavaliers’ (52-30) first-round clash against the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors (46-36), Harden made it clear that his playoff ghosts are the furthest thing from his mind.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” Harden said when asked about being one of the “winningest players in the playoffs to not get a ring.”
“I don’t care. I mean, there’s more detail and depth that I can go into as far as running up against a dynasty, injuries. It’s a part of the game, so there’s no excuses. I don’t feel bad. I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back like, ‘Ah, what if?’ It’s part of it. It’s life.”
Harden added that he is relishing the opportunity to keep pushing for his first championship.
“I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened throughout the course of our life that just didn’t go our way, and feel bad about it or feel sad. I don’t think like that,” Harden continued.
“I just keep pushing, you know what I mean? So, we look forward. I’m blessed. I get an opportunity to play basketball, playing in my 17th [straight] postseason, and I have another opportunity to get to it.”
Through 26 regular-season appearances with the Cavaliers after being acquired from LA at this year’s trade deadline, Harden averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.1 3-pointers per game on standout 46.6/43.5/84.0 shooting splits. He initiated the offense for a Cleveland squad that went 19-7 with him in the lineup and finished with a top-six offense (118.3 offensive rating).
Even so, if Harden has an off night in a pivotal game this postseason, the veteran will inevitably rekindle questions about his viability as a key contributor to a title contender.
