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James Harden said the Cleveland Cavaliers survived Toronto’s best punch because they stayed organized, defended with purpose and avoided getting rattled in a 115-105 Game 2 win on Monday night at Rocket Arena.
“I think we did a solid job,” Harden said. “Obviously there’s things we can clean up, but I agree. This is one of those situations where they were going to respond, and you got to give them credit. They did.”
Toronto cut into the lead several times, but Cleveland kept control of the game long enough to move ahead 2-0 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
“For us, just continue to stay mentally even keel throughout the whole game,” Harden said. “They made a run, they got it close, but we did what we were supposed to do.”
Harden also downplayed the idea that the Cavaliers were fully comfortable, instead stressing that the next matchup will be even tougher. “Now next game is going to be the hardest game for us,” he said. “So trying to keep the same mindset.”
The veteran guard finished with 28 points, but he said the bigger story was how Cleveland operated as a group. “It was a good game. Space,” Harden said, when asked about the way he, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley played together.
That trio combined for 83 points, with Mitchell scoring 30 and Mobley adding 25. Harden said the fit works because the communication is constant and direct.
“The biggest thing is we always communicate what we see,” he said. “When you have a guy like him and myself communicating amongst each other, also amongst the group, we see something on film, we communicate it to the group.”
Harden also pointed to the Cavaliers’ defensive identity as the deciding factor in the win. Toronto finished with 22 turnovers, a season high, and Cleveland turned those mistakes into 22 points.
He added, “We don’t win this game without defense. And that’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed and we’ve noticed as a group.”
Harden said the pressure on offense is lighter when Mitchell is able to share the load. “I can go stand on the wing,” he said. “It’s definitely better on the body, I tell you that.”
The Cavaliers now head to Toronto with a 2-0 lead, and Harden made clear the message is simple. “For me five turnovers isn’t good enough,” he said. “But it just takes the pressure off one of us to where we can be aggressive and make a play for somebody else.”
