James Harden needs a boost for the Cavaliers
James Harden avoided the worst against the Knicks, when he broke his thumb. The affected bone, which is at the level of the distal phalanx (the one that carries the nail), has not moved, which should encourage rapid healing. This also explains “The Beard”‘s express return to Brooklyn. While Cleveland also has to deal with the absence of Donovan Mitchell (groin), his presence has been more than helpful for Kenny Atkinson’s practice.
Despite a slightly shaky first half (five turnovers) and a small black bandage on his thumb, James Harden finished with the most playing time on the Cavaliers’ side (36 minutes).
He came close to a triple-double: 22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists. And above all, Cleveland won, enough to revive the positive momentum after a three-game losing streak in the previous four games.
A valuable boost
“It was pretty good. We saw in the first half that he obviously wasn’t 100%. Despite everything, in the second half he had a transition where we suffered: he took his responsibilities, went to the free throw line, made a couple of 3-pointers. It was good. But in the first half we clearly saw that. At the same time, he’s a gamer, so he was snacking.”, the Cavs coach said.
Kenny Atkinson was not expecting miracles, well aware of the situation. But between seeing him on the bench next to him or on the field (even without 100%) the choice was quickly made.
“His way of carrying the ball, a few turnovers that weren’t like him… I also noticed that sometimes he delegated to pick up the ball, which he never does. He probably needed to take a breath, calm down the game. It’s not an easy situation, especially for a player who has the ball in his hands as much as he does. We needed him tonight. But he played weak, he still played weak.” he added.
The love of basketball to mask the pain
It must be said that James Harden’s presence is not only the result of a personnel decision: it also reflects the player’s desire to return as soon as possible. Beck said he never considered surgery to get back on track quickly and help his new teammates achieve something great.
“That would take me away from the court too long. I was already thinking about playing the last game, and also in Milwaukee. There will be some discomfort, so I’m just looking for ways to overcome it.”, he explainedadding that he made the decision after training the day before, in Manhattan, at the premises of the Players’ Union. “I wanted to see if I could dribble. If I could dribble, I could play. I couldn’t dribble like I wanted to, but it was good enough to go.”
Aside from the exciting challenges looming for Cleveland as the season draws to a close, James Harden simply reminded that his primary motivation remains intact, at age 36: the joy of the game.
“I just love playing basketball, even without the concept of money. Basketball is something you do, a place where you feel good. As you progress, as you start to learn the game, as you learn more and more, it’s like anything: you become addicted to it. I’m lucky to have been able to play in this league for this long, and I continue to do so even more now that I’m older. but even today I realize that I still have a few years left to play basketball so I really want to appreciate them and have no regrets.” he concluded.
| James Harden | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | The team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Ft | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2009-10 | OKC | 76 | 22:52 | 40.3 | 37.5 | 80.8 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 9.9 |
| 2010-11 | OKC | 82 | 26:42 | 43.6 | 34.9 | 84.3 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 12.2 |
| 2011-12 | OKC | 62 | 31:23 | 49.1 | 39.0 | 84.6 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 16.8 |
| 2012-13 | NEW | 78 | 38:16 | 43.8 | 36.8 | 85.1 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 25.9 |
| 2013-14 | NEW | 73 | 38:02 | 45.6 | 36.6 | 86.6 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 25.4 |
| 2014-15 | NEW | 81 | 36:48 | 44.0 | 37.5 | 86.8 | 0.9 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 27.4 |
| 2015-16 | NEW | 82 | 38:07 | 43.9 | 35.9 | 86.0 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 29.0 |
| 2016-17 | NEW | 81 | 37:13 | 44.0 | 34.7 | 84.7 | 1.2 | 7.0 | 8.1 | 11.2 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 5.7 | 0.5 | 29.1 |
| 2017-18 | NEW | 72 | 35:26 | 44.9 | 36.7 | 85.8 | 0.6 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 8.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 30.4 |
| 2018-19 | NEW | 78 | 36:45 | 44.2 | 36.8 | 87.9 | 0.8 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 7.5 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 36.1 |
| 2019-20 | NEW | 68 | 36:31 | 44.4 | 35.5 | 86.5 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 7.5 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 34.3 |
| 2020-21 | NEW | 8 | 36:15 | 44.4 | 34.7 | 88.3 | 0.6 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 10.4 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 24.8 |
| 2020-21 | BKN | 36 | 36:38 | 47.1 | 36.6 | 85.6 | 0.8 | 7.7 | 8.5 | 10.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 24.6 |
| 2021-22 | BKN | 44 | 36:59 | 41.4 | 33.2 | 86.9 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 10.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 22.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHI | 21 | 37:43 | 40.2 | 32.6 | 89.2 | 0.6 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 10.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.2 | 21.0 |
| 2022-23 | PHI | 58 | 36:49 | 44.1 | 38.5 | 86.7 | 0.7 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 10.7 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 21.0 |
| 2023-24 | LAC | 72 | 34:18 | 42.8 | 38.1 | 87.8 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 8.5 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 16.6 |
| 2024-25 | LAC | 79 | 35:18 | 41.0 | 35.2 | 87.4 | 0.7 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 8.7 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 22.8 |
| 2025-26 | CLE | 8 | 32:38 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 81.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 8.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 19.3 |
| 2025-26 | LAC | 44 | 35:26 | 41.9 | 34.7 | 90.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 8.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 25.4 |
How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.
2026-03-02 11:29:00
