James Harden’s turnover-filled Game 1 performance and empty offensive possessions cost the Cleveland Cavaliers a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for James Harden back at the NBA trade deadline, it was with games like Tuesday night in mind.
Unfortunately, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Detroit Pistons was easily the worst of Harden's short playoff run with the Wine and Gold. The Cavs lost, 111-101, because of it.
On far too many occasions, Harden leaned into the iso-ball that has defined his 17-year career, taking inadvertent shots without much ball movement, or driving and losing the ball for a turnover.
It was the turnovers that killed the Cavaliers the most in Game 1. Harden committed a whopping seven of them, accounting for more than 35% of Cleveland's 20 turnovers on the night. Detroit turned those into 31 points, a massive discrepancy in the game.
Harden accepted responsibility afterward.
"You look within first; look at my turnovers, and a lot of them are just on me and nothing [Detroit] did," lamented Harden. "[These turnovers] led to [transition points]. It was way too many. If I had to put my print on one thing in the game, that’s the game right there... Like we talked about last year. If you get a shot on glass, even half of that, and it’s a different ball game. For me, I got to be better. I will be better [with not] turning the basketball over and getting shots up."
The turnovers are nothing new for Harden of the Cavs. In the first round, against Toronto, Harden amassed 36 turnovers over the course of seven games. An absurd number, no doubt, but he seemed to find other ways to be a net positive in that series. Meanwhile, as a team, their 141 turnovers is the most through eight playoff games since 1996.
On Tuesday night, he was mostly a net negative, even finishing -7 for the night. Harden's final scoring marks were a bit deceiving. Yes, he finished second in points with 22, while dishing out seven assists. But he shot just 6-of-15 from the floor and just 1-of-7 from three.
The majority of his points came from the charity stripe, where he went a perfect 9-for-9. An explosive fourth quarter helped put some lipstick on the pig, as well. Harden went 4-of-7 in the final stanza, scoring 13 points. The 36-year-old was the catalyst for an 11-0 run from the 9:15 mark to the 5:28 mark, which allowed Cleveland to draw even with Detroit at 93 a piece.
His offensive explosion may have salvaged his stat line for the night, but it couldn't salvage Game 1. And when the Cavs found themselves desperate for a bucket with about two minutes to play and trailing again by 7, it was Harden's seventh and final turnover that sealed their fate.
Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman made it clear back in February that they weren't trading for Harden to be the hero ball player he'd been throughout most of his career. A role that did win him an MVP in 2018.
On the back nine of his career, that's simply not who he is anymore, and it's not who the Cavs are asking him to be. He's meant to be the missing piece of a championship-caliber team. In Game 1, though, it felt like he was doing just a little too much at times, and making too many mental mistakes along the way.
The series is far from over. If the Cavaliers have any hopes of winning it, though, they need their newest star to be much better. Their championship dreams frankly depend on it.
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