James Harden looked like the closer the Cavaliers needed in Game 3.
He delivered late buckets Saturday to push Cleveland past Detroit and swing the tone of the series. Turns out, the groundwork was laid the night before.
Coach Kenny Atkinson reached out after Game 2. Not a long speech. More of a reminder.
“You’re our guy,” was the message Atkinson delivered, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“It started Friday,” Atkinson said. “I just doubled down with him in our conversation. In between games, that’s when you really coach. That’s where you make your money in this league.”
The Cavs needed it. Harden needed it too.
Atkinson stuck with the same theme throughout the call. Trust. Belief. Stay the course.
“I told him we are good, you are good, you are making the right plays,” Atkinson said. “You are helping us. You have done everything we have asked in terms of buying in. Just keep playing to win. I trust you implicitly.”
Harden responded the way stars do. He didn’t force it. He didn’t drift. He took control when it mattered.
The Cavs have leaned on him since the February trade for moments like this. Game 3 was another reminder of why.
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