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For one night, the Cleveland Cavaliers exorcised their demons at Madison Square Garden. They came away with an impressive 115-107 win over the defending champion New York Knicks.
Three stars of the game
First star: James Harden
32 points on 9-for-14 shooting, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
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Few players in NBA history have been able to single-handedly raise an offense’s floor and ceiling like Harden. His ability to score from anywhere, manipulate defenders with his body, and make every pass made him nearly unguardable in his prime — while also allowing him to remain effective into his late 30s. However, that offensive consistency hasn’t been there yet for the Cavs at the start of the season.
Harden needs his scoring and playmaking to work in concert with each other if he’s going to elevate an offense. When he’s scoring well, he draws the attention of the entire defense, which leaves teammates open for easy shots. But when he isn’t able to create space off the dribble or connect on the outside shot, defenders can stay home with their assignments. And when they are staying home, those openings for Harden to set up teammates just aren’t there. Everything is based on his scoring.
Over the last handful of games, we saw just how bad things can look when Harden isn’t scoring. Defenses don’t have to respect him and send multiple players his way. Things then become stagnant, and the entire offense suffers because of it. Against the Knicks, we witnessed the inverse.
The difference in this one was shotmaking. Harden found a scoring rhythm in the second quarter with his outside shot. This caused his defender to guard him much closer on the perimeter, making it easier for him to get inside the paint. The Knicks chose not to send multiple defenders his way, which allowed him to continue his effective scoring and close this game out with nine clutch fourth-quarter points.
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It’s not too much of a stretch to say that the success of the entire team depends on Harden. Everything offensively rises and falls with his play. The Cavs need to see this version of Harden much more often than they have.
Second star:…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/diving-deeper-cavs-115-107-040256732.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-12 04:02:00
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