You can’t fake chemistry.
It’s an intangible thing that’s so vital to playing winning basketball, you almost wonder why it isn’t mentioned more often. You can’t win a championship without rapport and trust. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, fast-tracking the process of building that connection between Donovan Mitchell and James Harden was their biggest challenge entering the playoffs.
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So far, so good. The Cavs’ backcourt has combined for a whopping 112 points through their first two games of the playoffs. Their seemingly innate chemistry has helped Cleveland jump out to a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors. But manifesting a genuine connection between two players that’s strong enough to withstand the intensity of playoff basketball is easier said than done.
That type of chemistry can take years to form — and this backcourt doesn’t have time to spare. Harden is in the final chapter of his career, while Mitchell is in his prime. They have to learn on the fly while their championship window is still open.
“I know we are behind,” said Harden. “So I think what speeds that process up is communication and helping each other out… I don’t even know how many games we’ve played together, so our communication during games, on practice days, is very important because that can get us over the hump.”
Harden joined the team in early February. Roughly two months before the postseason began. That left little time for integration. Maximizing every opportunity to learn something from each other is the only way they can pull this together.
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“A lot of times in timeouts, we’ll spend two-thirds of the timeout us communicating amongst each other,” said Mitchell. “Just trying to make these adjustments and pick apart what we see.”
We saw a great example of this during Game 2 versus Toronto.
Mitchell had just put on a one-man show, dancing in isolation before drilling a difficult three-pointer. It was a beautiful shot, but not the highest quality attempt this offense can generate. As such, Harden went out of his way to tell Mitchell what he saw on that play — and where they can find something more sustainable.
“We always communicate what we see,” said Mitchell. “Even though I scored on that possession, to his point, there was an easier read that I didn’t see, but he saw.”
“That’s Donovan Mitchell… what he’s doing is spectacular,” said Harden about Spida’s shot-making. “But we can’t put ourselves in those positions; that’s the first step.”
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It’s not easy to tell an All-Star player that the shot he just made wasn’t in the team’s best interest. You can only do that if you’ve built a sense of mutual respect and trust amongst each other. Cleveland’s backcourt has done the work to accomplish this in less than half a season.
“They’re in constant conversations about what’s going on out there,” said Kenny Atkinson. “In the huddle, they are de facto leaders.”
This communication extends to the defensive end, where being on the same page is significantly more important. While Harden isn’t known for his defense, he has nonetheless established himself as one of Cleveland’s most vocal defenders.
“The biggest thing with him is, he’s obviously an all-world offensive talent, but the one thing that jumps out at you is his communication about defense,” said Mitchell. “I’m over here in huddles talking about ‘hey, we need to do this offensively,’ and he’s like, ‘man, we just need three stops in a row.’”
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Harden, who had 5 steals in Game 2, once again showed us an example of why being vocal is important. It was his adjustment mid-play that helped Mitchell come up with a steal in the fourth quarter. That type of leadership is why the Cavs wanted him on the roster.
“That’s part of the reason we traded for him,” said Atkinson. “Teams aren’t really picking on him because he’s smart, he’s big, and he’s savvy… the IQ, the hands, he’ll get beat, but then he’ll strip a guy from behind… he’s got a lot of nuance to his defensive game.”
Beating the Narratives
There’s a broader point to be made of this duo.
Both Mitchell and Harden have suffered similar shortcomings in the playoffs. They’ve fallen victim to the same narratives. Two dynamic shot creators who can’t get over the hump. High usage stars who will burn themselves out before going the distance. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the criticisms surrounding both players.
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But they no longer have to do it all on their own. Working together as a duo might be what it takes to finally get that chip off their shoulders.
“I think Harden balances it,” said Atkinson. “I still get a little crazy with Don, like ‘Don pass the ball’ and then he goes and makes an incredible shot — it’s just finding that Michael Jordan maturity and balance. Just knowing when to [score], but I do think James being beside him helps a lot. It balances it out a little because Don realizes he doesn’t have to do it all himself.”
Cavs fans have seen Mitchell play the hero. It can be amazing to watch him leave it all on the floor — like when he scored 48 points to elevate an injury-riddled Cavalier team against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of last year’s playoffs. But those points came at a high cost to his body. All of the bruises he earned while attacking the basket took a toll. And by the end of the game, his exhaustion contributed to Cleveland blowing their lead in the closing minutes.
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Now, Mitchell has a sidekick. If a defense is making it too costly for Mitchell to score, he can lean on Harden to take the pressure off him.
“There are a couple of times where Don’s in isolation, and they start crashing, and so he just throws it to James,” said Atkinson.
The effect goes both ways. Mitchell can suck in multiple defenders and dish it to Harden. Or Harden can warp the floor with his own playmaking to open gaps for Mitchell to attack. The two guards work in tandem to pose an impossible challenge for even a top-ranked defense like Toronto.
“You have a guy who can create for himself and others, it just makes it tough,” said Mitchell. “You have to figure out how to guard it. If he runs the pick-and-roll with Ev, do you help off me? Do you stay? There’s a trust level between the two of us and among the group.”
Trust is key. Mitchell has scored 30+ points in each game to open his series versus the Raptors. Neither effort took more than 25 field goal attempts — a mark he reached in four of five games against the Pacers last season. Harden, meanwhile, has totalled 50 points on just 32 field goal attempts across his first two playoff games with the Cavaliers.
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Maintaining that balance will be the difference between a deep playoff run and another early exit.
“They’re selfless with each other because they’re on the same page and they want to get to that next level, that next step,” said Atkinson.
