Patrick Beverley has been vouching for James Harden after his former teammate received plenty of criticism after poor performances in Games 1 and 2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ second-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.
In Game 3, Harden came alive in the fourth quarter and hit the biggest shot of the game to help the Cavs win and cut the Pistons’ series lead to 1-2. After the game, Pat Bev made sure to let the Beard’s critics know that he was watching Game 3.
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“Oh yeah, you know you was gonna hear from me,” said Beverley in a video. “It’s a seven-game series. Y’all understand that, okay? Casual fans, it’s a seven-game series. Detroit did what they were supposed to do: win two games at home. James Harden, what chatter? Now I don’t want to hear s—t. Now shut up, take y’all a—s to sleep. Yeah ‘Beard’, what chatter?”
Harden delivers big in the clutch
Much was expected from the Cavs after they traded for Harden before the deadline and paired him with Donovan Mitchell in their starting backcourt. However, not only did the Cavaliers struggle to put away the Toronto Raptors in the first round, but James also had a hard time in Game 1 against Detroit, shooting just 6-15 from the floor, including 1-7 from 3-point range, while committing seven turnovers in a 101-111 loss.
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Instead of bouncing back in Game 2, Harden had a tougher game, scoring just 10 points on 3-13 shooting and going 0-4 from 3-point range. With four turnovers, statisticians pointed out that he has 46 games with more turnovers than field goals, including 29 in the playoffs. From there, folks brought back the narrative that the Beard disappears during the playoffs, especially in the biggest games.
However, with the Cavaliers’ season on the line in Game 3, Harden came up big in the fourth quarter, where he scored nine of his 19 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the game to seal the win for his team. Not only that, he dueled with Cade Cunningham down the stretch and came out victorious.
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What chatter?
Harden finished the game shooting 8-14 from the floor, including 3-7 from 3-point distance. He also dished out seven assists and had only three turnovers, his lowest in the series so far. After the game, NBC’s Ashley ShahAhmadi interviewed James and asked him about the chatter about him over the last several days.
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“What chatter?”said Harden. “I play basketball, and whatever this team needs me to do, I’ma out there and do it. So, let the game play out, fourth quarter, my number was 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.”
As Beverley pointed out, it’s a seven-game series. The Pistons did what they were supposed to do in Games 1 and 2: hold court. The Cavaliers responded by taking Game 3, which is also expected. With Game 4 also in Cleveland on Monday night, they have the opportunity to turn this matchup into a Best-of-3 series. Whether Harden shows up or not remains to be seen.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.