The Cleveland Cavaliers were an early favorite to make a run in the Eastern Conference before making a trade for star guard James Harden.
After the team shipped Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cavaliers went on a 20-9 run to end the regular season with Harden on the team. The longtime NBA star praised Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson for acclimating the turnover-prone guard into the lineup.
“He understands his team,” Harden said. “Of course, somebody’s going to have to take criticism, whether it’s myself or Kenny or whoever, the entire team. They’re going to put it on somebody.”
More NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Places Blame in Game 4 Loss to Spurs
More NBA: Thunder Coach Admits Mistake in Blowout Loss to Spurs
“But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I’m supposed to be doing out there. It’s just an unfortunate situation. Any team coming off of a tough, two series against two defensive monsters, it would have been challenging.”
Despite a sweep from the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, Harden clearly stands behind Atkinson, who took heat earlier this week for suggesting Cleveland was “analytically” better than New York in two of the first three games of the season.
The series ended with a 130-93 loss from the Cavaliers, who were eliminated at home.
More NBA: Cavaliers Star Donovan Mitchell Makes Promise After Knicks Sweep
Read the full article here
