1 of 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden scored 12 points in a loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday in Cleveland. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk | License Photo
James Harden said his Cleveland Cavaliers are “a better team” than the New York Knicks, despite losing their Eastern Conference finals series 4-0.
Harden made the comments after the No. 3 Knicks crushed the No. 4 Cavaliers 130-93 in Game 4 on Monday in Cleveland. The Knicks outshot the Cavaliers 50% to 42.6%, leading to a 475-398 scoring advantage in the sweep. With Monday’s win, they clinched their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.
“Yeah, it was 4-0, but I don’t think we had a chance as far as our best shot, from the standpoint of the circumstances,” Harden told reporters. “Obviously, they dominated us 4-0. But I don’t know if i can necessarily answer that question, because genuinely, I do feel like we are the better team.
“But series-wise, we didn’t show it.”
The Cavaliers, who made 48.2% of their shots in the regular season, including 39.8% from 3-point range, hit 41.6% of their attempts and were 11 of 40 (27.5%) from downtown in the series finale. They made more than 41.6% of their shots in just one game in the four-game series.
Harden, who made 46.6% of his shots and was 43.5% from 3-point range for the Cavaliers during the regular season, hit just 38.9% of his shots and 17.9% of his 3-point attempts in the series. He scored 16 points per game in the series, including 12 in Game 4. Cavaliers role players Sam Merrill and Max Strus, who averaged 12.8 and 11.2 points in the regular season, were held to about half those averages in the series.
The Knicks, who led by as many as 45 points in Game 4, held an average margin of victory of 23.7 points in the series.
“I feel like we didn’t have a fair chance honestly,” Harden said. “We didn’t play a quarter of Cavs basketball offensively. That right there is the frustrating part because we did play well since I’ve been here. … It’s only so much you can do defensively, so many stops you can get, especially against a great offensive team. If you aren’t making shots, you’re not going to beat anybody.”
The Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 50-36 in the paint, 33-9 off fast breaks, 58-24 off the bench and 34-18 off turnovers in Game 4. They also held a 32-5 edge in second-chance points.
“They’re playing great basketball,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said of the Knicks. “You’ve just got to give them credit. They are on a heater. They are in a groove. Just got to give them a ton of credit. … I don’t want to detract from what we’ve done this postseason.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to give the other team credit for playing great basketball.”
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson averaged 23.5 points and 7.8 assists per game en route to Eastern Conference finals MVP honors.
Harden, 36, has a $42.3 million player option for next season. The 11-time All-Star and 2017 NBA MVP, who joined the Cavaliers in a February trade, said he wants to stay in Cleveland.
Mitchell, who averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds and finished seventh in the MVP race this season, is under contract for $50.1 million next season. He has a $53.8 million player option in 2027-28, but becomes extension eligible in July.
Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is under contract through 2029-30. Center Jarret Allen and Merrill are signed through 2028-29. Strus is under contract through next season.
Mitchell told reporters that he has “no doubt that this group” of Cavaliers can stage a more significant playoff run.
“I think the biggest thing is you just use is as a learning lesson,” said Mitchell, who scored 31 points in Game 4. “It’s a tough learning lesson, but now we know. That’s not how I like to stay things, but we know.”
Atkinson said he has trust in the Cavaliers’ front office, when asked Monday about his job security and potential changes to the roster.
“I have confidence in myself, first of all, confidence in the group,” Atkinson said. “The roster talk, that’s for down the line. Our front office has done a [phenomenal job, given us a great roster. Obviously there will be decision to be made, like every summer. But i think we are doing pretty well with those decisions since I’ve been here. So just keep trusting our process, trust our collaboration.”
The Knicks, who are on an 11-game winning streak, will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs on June 3 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The top-seeded Thunder and No. 2 Spurs are tied 2-2 in the Western Conference finals. Game 5 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The matchup will air on NBC.
