This is why Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden is so polarizing.
Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden made positive and negative NBA playoff history in the Cavs' Game 6 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Let's start with the positive. Harden passed Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list, moving into 10th place.
However, Harden also turned the ball over eight times and passed Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal for third on the all-time playoff turnover leaderboard. It marked Harden's 31st career playoff game with more turnovers than made field goals, tied for fourth most in the NBA since the playoffs expanded to seven-game series in all rounds in 2003.
Harden finished Game 6 with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and eight turnovers while shooting 6-of-13 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers lost to the Pistons by a final score of 115-94. Harden and Co. now have to win Game 7 in Detroit to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
"We never really kicked it to that second level," Harden said. "And we needed to get to that third and fourth level. It was never just a consistent flow at either end of the ball, which is frustrating, but can't do nothing about it. We got to start focusing our mind for one game on the road."
Harden has been in the NBA since 2009. He has never missed the playoffs with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Cavaliers. However, Harden has only been to the NBA Finals once. That was back in 2012 with the Thunder, who lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games.
Harden has a $42 million player option for next season that he's likely to decline to enter unrestricted free agency. If the Cavaliers lose Game 7 to the Pistons, Donovan Mitchell could be traded and Harden could sign with another team.
Cavaliers Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Cavaliers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.