Jalen Harden was criticized for struggling early in the series against the Detroit Pistons, but now he and the Cleveland Cavaliers are one win away from the Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, and his girlfriend reminded his doubters of their words.
On Thursday night, the Cavaliers took a 3-2 series lead over the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons by overcoming a major deficit early in the game and rallying for a 117-113 overtime win.
Jalen Harden led the way for the Cavaliers with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also had a game-high 14 free throws, including six in overtime, finishing 11-for-14 from the line along with three blocks and one steal.
Following the game, Harden’s girlfriend, Paige Speights, had some words for his haters and doubters who didn’t believe in him and the Cavs. She shared a message on her Instagram after Game 5:
“CAN’T BE F*KED WITH!!!!!!”
In the following story, she posted a Cavs logo along with the song titled “We Not Done” by 42 Dugg.
Speights, who shares a newborn child with Harden, frequently appears at Cavs games and posts photos from the games. She also posted their newborn son in one of her Instagram stories on Thursday.
Cleveland needed the win on Thursday night. Despite the series being tied after four games, the Cavs would have home-court advantage two more times before the series was over. What they also needed was for their offense to wake up on the road and they got both, as Cleveland took a 3-2 series lead along with an offensive awakening in Game 5.
After ineffective first two games, Harden responded well in the series, and he was also the overtime hero as the Cavaliers moved to within one win of a return trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. No matter the situation, he’s found a way to get back to what makes him successful and deliver a strong performance. He is averaging 24.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in the last three games.
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