James Harden, still learning new role, helps Cleveland get 1 win away from East finals

The numbers show how Harden has so much value to the Cavaliers. In these playoffs, they are:

— 5-1 when he scores at least 22 points (2-4 otherwise).

— 4-0 when he shoots at least 44% (3-5 otherwise).

— 5-0 when he has at least seven field goals (2-5 otherwise).

— 6-1 when he has at least three 3-pointers (1-4 otherwise).

Has it always been smooth? It has not. Harden still turns the ball over often, although that's sometimes a misunderstood stat because the guys with the ball in their hands more than others are simply going to turn it over more than most people. He's three points away from tying Stephen Curry for 10th on the all-time playoff scoring list (which is good), and one turnover away from tying Shaquille O'Neal for the second-most giveaways in the playoffs in this format that goes back to 1984 (which is not so good).

In fairness, Harden is judged differently than many players. It comes with the territory — 17 years in the league, 17 playoff appearances, extremely well-paid, extremely well-decorated when it comes to awards, and zero NBA titles. But also, in the interest of fairness, he's finding ways to make things work with Cleveland despite being put in a role very different than the one he's been playing for some time.

“This is new for me. I’ve only been here two and a half months,” Harden said. “So, the things that we are going through is all new.”

He's had to be a second option in Cleveland, the Robin to Donovan Mitchell's Batman. Such adjustments are not easy to make. Harden has been trying to do so seamlessly ever since the trade happened — and Cleveland is one win away from the NBA's final four for the first time since 2018 (and in the non-LeBron James era, the first time since 1992).

“I think we’re building in the right direction,” Harden said. “And throughout that process, there’s going to be some times where we don’t look as great, but I think overall we've all got the right mindset of wanting to help each other be better. And I think we’re finding that.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA