NBA Playoffs Takeaways: James Harden Delivers Cavaliers Game 3 Win Over Pistons With Clutch Heroics

The Cavaliers entered Game 3 knowing it was a must-win, down 2–0 and on the verge of the 3–0 deficit that no team has ever recovered from. They played like it in the early going, scorching the nets in one of Cleveland’s best shooting performances across the board in the playoffs. But the Pistons, resilient as always, hung tight. Detroit battled back to erase a 17-point lead and, suddenly, the game was up for grabs in the final minutes.

Enter James Harden. The superstar guard stepped up huge in the clutch for the Cavs and sealed the win for Cleveland. The Pistons still lead the series 2–1 but the Cavaliers have hope entering Game 4, something that would have been in very short supply if they fumbled this win away.

Here are three takeaways from one of the more entertaining playoff games we’ve seen this NBA postseason.

James Harden ignored the noise, saved the day 

The Cavaliers avoided the dreaded 3–0 deficit and have one man to thank: James Harden. 

The superstar guard had been heavily criticized around the basketball world for a very poor opening set of games to this series; he got picked on relentlessly by the Pistons’ offense and shrank from the moment when the Cavs needed his shot-making. Game 3 seemed like it might play out the same way despite a strong start for the 36-year-old as Harden went missing in the middle two quarters while Detroit erased a 17-point Cleveland lead. 

But Harden came up absolutely huge in the clutch, putting up nine points in a back-and-forth fourth quarter. He went on a personal 7–0 run over the last two minutes while Cleveland struggled to score. And, to cap it off, the former MVP hit one of his signature stepback three-pointers over Tobias Harris to put the Cavs up by four with 25 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the win. His final statline was modest—19 points on 8-for-14 shooting and seven assists—but all the fans and his teammates will remember is the victory. 

“What chatter?” Harden said on the NBC broadcast when asked about criticism postgame. “I play basketball. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m gonna go out there and do it. Let the game play out. Fourth quarter. My number is called and I go to work. They made a run. Up 17, we’ve seen it before. Stay composed and win the game. And that’s what we did.” 

It doesn’t erase his earlier struggles, but this is exactly why Harden was brought to Cleveland at the trade deadline. He is a bucket-getter and showed that when the Cavs absolutely needed it most. 

Cade Cunningham continues to struggle against Cavaliers’ defense

The Pistons went up 2–0 in this series despite subpar play from Cunningham. The superstar scorer, perhaps feeling the weight of the responsibility he shouldered in Detroit’s series comeback over the Magic in the previous round, needed 19 shots to hit 23 points in Game 1. In Game 2 he was far more efficient, shooting 50% from the field to total 25 points and added 10 assists besides. But in Game 3 Cunningham took a step backwards again, going 10-for-27 from the field for 27 points; his 10 rebounds and 10 assists gave him a triple-double but his three brutal turnovers in the last few minutes might’ve cost his team the game.

At large those are obviously solid numbers for a No. 1 playoff option but as the only true creator the Pistons have Cunningham has to be a better shot-maker against a Cavs defense with plenty of holes to attack. He is 16-of-44 from inside the arc against Cleveland’s strong interior duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. He got away with poor shooting over the first two games of the series and even came close to stealing Game 3 despite those struggles from the field. But Cunningham won’t be able to push the Pistons across the finish line of this series if he keeps missing shots inside. 

Despite the win, plenty of concern remains about Cleveland’s rebounding

The Cavaliers won and that’s all that matters. But. Cleveland got absolutely smoked on the glass in Game 3. It’s why the team blew a 17-point lead and found itself locked neck-and-neck with the Pistons near the end of the fourth quarter despite pulling ahead on multiple occasions. Detroit finished with a whopping 17 offensive rebounds and overall outrebounded Cleveland 40–33. 

It’s not surprising at this point. The Pistons have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in every game of the series, with 16 in Game 1 and 12 in Game 2. The Cavs struggled to protect the glass against the Raptors in the first round, too, and it played a big role in why the series went to seven games despite the obvious talent differential offensively. It’s still a deeply concerning trend that will serve as Cleveland’s Achilles heel at some point in the near future. 

The Cavs had enough of a margin for error to give up second-chance points in bunches against Toronto. They got away with it in Game 3 because Detroit largely wasn’t able to capitalize on all those offensive rebounds and didn’t rack up many second-chance points. But that failure to finish defensive possessions is why they didn’t blow the Pistons out of the water while shooting 58% from the field. It’s also a big reason why they were down 0–2 in the first place. 

Mitchell and Harden can score all the points they want—if the roster’s two near-seven footers who start every game can’t hold their own on the glass, they won’t win a thing.

If you want to experience Game 3’s exciting conclusion as it happened, below you’ll find Sports Illustrated’s live blog for the Cavs’ win over the Pistons.

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