The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday at the Little Caesars Arena in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series, securing the third-largest Game 7 win in NBA playoff history.
For the first time in franchise history, four Cavaliers players scored at least 20 points in a Game 7. It also marked only the second time in the last 60 years that four players on the same team scored at least 20 points in a Game 7. However, none of those four was named James Harden.
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Former Fox Sports host Emmanuel Acho immediately called out “The Beard” after the game.
“So today I was like, ‘Hey Harden, you’re not even the man. You 1B. You don’t even have to be 1A. Just go and be a good 1B. And the fact that James Harden was the fifth-best player on the Cavs today, make that make sense,” he said.
Harden’s inconsistencies vs. Pistons
The Cavaliers traded for James Harden before the trade deadline, hoping he would be the backcourt partner Darius Garland never was for Donovan Mitchell. With his size, skill set and experience, Harden was seen as the perfect complement to Mitchell, and that proved true during the regular season.
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However, Harden’s playoff reputation once again became a storyline, with criticism emerging earlier in the series over his inconsistent performances. He responded with a clutch basket in Game 3 and strong outings in Games 4 and 5. Game 6 was solid, but when Game 7 arrived, Harden once again disappeared — though it ultimately mattered little in a blowout loss, as Mitchell delivered a dominant performance.
“Spidey, Merrill, Allen, Mobley and then Harden? Like the fact that James Harden you have the fifth-best offensive output is? It’s not like James Harden is D-Wade. He’s not a lockdown defender. So if you’re not giving us anything offensively, James Harden, what are you giving us? You didn’t have 12 assists?” Acho said.
“So it’s not James Harden that you were a conduit for everybody else getting busy and everybody else scoring. I was utterly disappointed in James Harden’s performance. Now, Spidey won in spite of James Harden. Donovan Mitchell did not win because of James Harden. Donovan Mitchell won in spite of James Harden’s lack of help; Spidey still got the job done,” he added.
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Cavs survived Game 7 Harden
James entered Sunday averaging just 19.1 points per game while shooting 35 percent from the floor and 22 percent from 3-point distance in his last eight Game 7s. But he was worse than that on Sunday.
With the Cavs’ season on the line, Harden shot just 2-of-10 from the field, including 0-of-6 from 3-point distance to finish with nine points, five rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes of action. Luckily for Cleveland, Mitchell had a big game with 26 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
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The Cavaliers also got a huge lift from starting center Jarrett Allen. He delivered another standout performance after his Game 7 heroics against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, finishing Sunday’s game with 23 points and seven rebounds.
That said, if the Cavaliers want a chance at pulling off another upset, this time against the New York Knicks, they need Game 7 Jarrett Allen to show up every game. Cleveland also needs Harden to provide scoring support for Mitchell, not let Mitchell carry him to victory.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.