The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat a good Denver Nuggets team 119-117. The spectacular play from Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Jarrett Allen down the stretch is to thank for that.
Harden completely changes this offense.
The gravity he provides is incredible. Every step he takes towards the basket with the ball causes each of the off-ball defenders to react. And when he sucks you into a spot to provide a good contest on the shot, the ball is whipped out to the open man.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the win against the Sacramento Kings that he wasn’t going to try to force Harden into his system.
“I don’t think systems win championships. Players do.”
The Cavs are playing Harden’s system right now. They’ve gone from an attack that relies heavily on getting out in transition to one that picks teams apart in the half-court. And the results have been great.
Over the last two games, the Cavs have registered a 120 half-court offensive rating (95th percentile) and a 109.9 (82nd percentile).
One of the goals in attacking in transition is to take advantage of cross-matchups and to catch the defense off balance. You don’t need to play that chaotically when you have a walking mismatch creator in Harden.
It’s obvious how Harden’s presence would help Mitchell’s scoring. There’s more driving lanes for Mitchell to attack and get downhill. Maybe not as obviously, Harden opens up more room for Mitchell as a passer.
Mitchell, as a facilitator, has been a mixed bag. He has the veloicity and ball placement to make cross-court passes and great drive-and-kick dishes to the corner. However, he hasn’t always had the touch or vision to get bigs involved as much as you’d like.
This combination has made Mitchell an effective playmaker in a fully five-out offense, but has left you wanting more as a passer in most of the contexts the Cavs have put him in.
Harden’s gravity changes that, as seen in the three examples below.
This first play is the result of miscommunication. The Nuggets wanted to keep Nikola Jokic out of the action. Harden threw it to Mitchell, two stayed with Harden, which left Allen wide open.
Players who create as much attention as Harden can cause defenders to do stupid things.
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Next, here’s an example of Mitchell finding the open man in a scrambling defense that led to a layup for Jaylon Tyson. The defense will be caught in more rotations if there’s a perimeter player as skilled as Harden that they’re worried about.
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Lastly, Mitchell is at his best when he’s reading and reacting quickly. This set pin-down with Allen allows him to do that easily.
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Generally speaking, the passing ability hasn’t been the issue for Mitchell. Recognizing the openings has. The increased attention Harden provides should make those reads much easier.
Harden gives you a different dynamic defensively as well. Even though he isn’t a good point-of-attack defender on guards, he can hold his own in the post. This is incredibly useful when you’re going against someone like Jokic.
The help defense Harden was able to provide on Jokic in the post saved the game. He has the size and strength to be bothersome there in a way that other Cavalier guards aren’t. This showed through most when his help defense forced a Jokic turnover on Denver’s third-to-last possession.
Plays like that are just as important as the off-balance three he hit a few seconds after. That shot doesn’t tie the game if it wasn’t for his defense moments earlier.
Allen continues to show how skilled he is offensively. He’s benefited greatly from Harden’s playmaking, but he was also playing well before the trade.
Overall, Allen is showing a level of aggression that makes someone with his skills incredibly difficult to guard. That led to 22 points on 10-16 shooting against Denver.
Allen is a tough matchup for Jokic.
Offensively, Allen’s screening tests Jokic. The Nuggets like to keep Jokic around the rim on screens. That means, if you’re a good screener like Allen, you’re going to create room for your dynamic guards to get uncontested looks.
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Defensively, Allen is one of the few centers who can make things relatively difficult for Jokic. Allen did a good job of keeping Jokic in front of him, which allowed the other four defenders to stay more with their assignments.
Allen wasn’t directly responsible for Jokic’s seven turnovers, but it isn’t a coincidence that he was forcing passes into windows that weren’t really there more than he typically does. It also speaks to Jokic’s greatness that the Cavs did a good job containing him on a night he picked up a triple-double.
The Mitchell and Harden pairing couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
It’s been just two games and they haven’t had any practice time together, but the duo has already done a great job of working off each other’s strengths.
Mitchell plays with the pedal to the floor at all times. Every drive and cut to the basket is made with force. His athleticism and power allow him to get where he wants to on the court, and he has the touch and skill to be one of the best three-level scorers in the league.
If Mitchell is the offense’s fastball, Harden is their 12-6 curve.
Harden’s deliberate, methodical way of picking apart his opponent and creating openings for himself and teammates is the perfect change of pace to Mitchell’s speed.
When they’re working in unison — like they have in their first two fourth quarters together — the offense can be a thing of beauty.
The most tantalizing aspect is that you’d think this is the worst it’s going to look. Is there another gear they can get to? What does this look like with Evan Mobley in the mix?
We’ll have to wait for those answers. In the meantime, we can say that the floor for this pairing is incredibly high. Presumably, the ceiling is as well.
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