As the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled to get on the win column in their second-round series, pundits decided to criticize James Harden anew. The former NBA MVP, who has been panned for his struggles in high-stakes games, was called out for coming up short in the Cavs’ losses to the Detroit Pistons.
Game 3, however, was a different story. Posting 19 points and seven assists, Harden helped the Cavaliers notch their first win in the series against the Eastern Conference’s top seed. In his post-game interview, Harden was asked how he was able to “silence the chatter” with his performance Saturday night.
“What chatter?” Harden responded.
James Harden, who scored nine points in the fourth quarter to keep the Pistons at bay, added that he keeps his focus on his performance instead of the negative feedback hurled his way.
“I play basketball. Whatever this team needs, I’m going to go out there and do it, letting the game play out. In the fourth quarter, my number was called.”
In more ways than one, Harden’s Game 3 performance was a return to form. In Game 2, he went 0-for-4 from deep and posted more turnovers than made field goals. With the series shifting to Rocket Arena, Harden made three of his seven attempts from beyond the arc; overall, he was 8-for-14 on the floor while committing just three miscues.
The chatter won’t die down, though, and Harden will have to keep up his efficient stats for the Cavs to tie things up in Game 4.
“James Harden Apparently Not Too Slow”: Bill Simmons Takes Back Criticism Minutes After Taking Shot at Cavs Star
Unbeknownst to James Harden at the time, veteran analyst Bill Simmons had questioned why Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t give more minutes to another member of the Cleveland backcourt.
“It’s crazy that Atkinson hasn’t played Merrill more in Game 3. I don’t understand 90% of what he’s doing. Harden’s too slow, Wade has been awful, This is a do or die game – if I’m going down it’s with Mitchell, Merrill, Strus, Schroeder and Allen or Mobley in crunch time,” Simmons tweeted.
After Harden made big plays down the stretch in Game 3, Simmons decided to backtrack on his words.
“Update – James Harden apparently not too slow!”
Whether Harden will continue to silence critics in this series remains to be seen, though it’s worth noting that he had his best Game 7 in years as the Cavs closed out the Toronto Raptors in the first round.
