The Cleveland Cavaliers got the job done against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, but it wasn’t without a big scare. In a game that most expected them to breeze through, they began digging their own grave, allowing the Bulls to come close to spoiling their night. James Harden, a man serious about playing at the highest possible level, reflected on just that post-game.
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The Bulls outscored the Cavs 37-22 in the fourth quarter, which meant that Harden and Co. only got over the line by five points. Because the Bulls have a 28-42 record and are #12 in the East, the Cavs really have to understand that they were spared the blushes, barely.
Harden joined Cleveland after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, and he has made one thing clear: he wants to win the title. But if they keep making things difficult for themselves as they did against the Bulls, that dream may fade away come the post-season.
“It’s not good enough,” Harden admitted, moments after the game ended. “We gotta be more professional. We have to do a better job in closing that game out a lot earlier. We started being careless, so we just gotta be better.”
Harden has played for plenty of good teams over the years. He had a fairly good chance to compete for the title in Houston, Brooklyn, and the Clippers. But most of the time, his teams choked, especially in H-Town and the Nets. With the Clippers, things just never clicked.
At Cavs, now in the business end of his career, considering he’s 36, Harden has a solid chance at retiring with at least one ring. The Cavs have a great team, and one of the best backcourts in the league with Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
They managed to hold down the fort against the Bulls, but will a performance like this fly against the Celtics or the Knicks? Harden doesn’t want to find out.
