James Harden spotlights clutch contributions from the Cleveland Cavaliers' unsung heroes in the NBA playoffs thus far, including Game 5 vs. the Toronto Raptors.
In his postgame availability following the Cleveland Cavaliers' 125-120 win in Game 5 over the Toronto Raptors, James Harden made a point to show love to the team as a whole.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' stars like James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley may get the most coverage and praise for the performances they put forth in victories, but the consistency of their supporting cast throughout this series can't go unnoticed.
"This is a team game," Harden said. "You need a team to win. As much as the stars get all the attention and things like that, everybody else puts the work in, and they deserve your attention, especially when they play well. Great team win for us. I think everybody contributed in their own way, and we’re going to need that going forward."
He mentioned Jaylon Tyson's minutes being amazing, while Mitchell praised Dean Wade for being aggressive with his jumper and off the dribble. It should also be known that Sam Merrill got Cleveland going in the first quarter when the Raptors were putting the offense in another chokehold.
In the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I talked about Merrill and Wade's contributions:
I think Dean and Sam gave them a lot tonight. Sam, on these switches, he is battling his butt off. Whether they're scoring or not, you can just see him on switches just trying to firm up to these guys. He had a great stop on Scottie [Barnes] earlier in this game. He's had to switch onto CMB [Collin Murray-Boyles] a couple of times. The fight and the fire are there.
We always give Dean Wade the credit on defense. I'm gonna give him credit on offense today. I know it's not pretty; you see 3-of-10 from the field. Ten shots from Dean Wade in a playoff game? He was willing to take them! He could've taken more and drove to the rim more. They had him in the dunker spot. He came off the bench today. With that, it does give you the opportunity to have a backup big, so that's kinda nice.
Once again, the Cavs have the upper hand in the series with a 3-2 lead. The teams will head back up north for Game 6 at Scotiabank Arena on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, as the Raptors try to keep their season alive and avoid elimination.
Depending on which way the pendulum swings, Sunday would be a winner-take-all Game 7 at Rocket Arena.
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