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Knowing when to accept defeat is one of the hardest things a professional athlete will have to deal with in their career, and after a sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden refused to believe his opponents were the better team.
The Knicks finished off the Cavaliers in Game 4 with a 130-93 victory. Harden scored 12 points, missed each of the six three-pointers he attempted, turned the ball over five times and was -19 on the court. Harden was asked how much better the Knicks were than the Cavs.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden reacts to a call during the first half of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks in Cleveland on May 25, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
“Honestly, I can’t even answer that question. Yes, it’s 4-0, but I don’t think we had a chance to take our best shot from the standpoint of the circumstances. Obviously, they dominated us 4-0, but I don’t know if I could necessarily answer that question, just because I genuinely feel like we’re the better team. But as far as the series goes, we didn’t show it.”
Cleveland showed absolutely no evidence of that claim.
The team only managed to eclipse 100 points twice in the series, reaching at least 100 points in the first game in overtime after the Knicks came back from a deficit of more than 20 points to tie the game and win in overtime.
The series wasn’t really close after that.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden disputes a call during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks in Cleveland on May 24, 2027. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Harden may be one of the most prolific scorers of all time, but his attempts to win a championship have been futile. ESPN Insights noted that Harden has played 191 playoff games without winning a championship, just two behind Karl Malone all-time.
Harden has a $42.3 million player option heading into the offseason, but is not expected to re-sign with the Cavaliers.
Team owner Dan Gilbert shared an assessment of the season on social media.
“We took a step forward this spring, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be,” he wrote on
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland on May 24, 2027. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
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The Cavaliers now face an uncertain offseason with the potential to add pieces to another run at a championship or blow up the team and start from scratch.
