Amidst his 17th NBA season, Cleveland Cavs veteran guard James Harden is still chasing his first championship, of which he believes is attainable ahead of the playoffs. The Cavs have the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference standings, trailing the New York Knicks for third place by half a game.

Harden explained the significance of winning his first title would mean to him, he said, per Andscape’s Marc Spears.

“I don’t think the world wants to see [my emotions] if that happens,” Harden said. “I put so much work into the game. Still to this day, I’m putting work in right now. I’m here for a reason, still putting in a high level [of shots] for a reason. I generally work my butt off. People don’t really see it, which is fine because I’m here for a reason.

“A lot of guys faded away, and we still see guys in year 17-plus. It’s only a handful of them that’s still playing at the highest level, which means credit to their work. But [a championship is] something that I work my butt off for every single day, and I’m going to continue to just keep going and keep trying until that happens.”

Harden and the Cavs are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

James Harden’s request after trade to Cavs

Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) looks to shoot in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena

David Richard-Imagn Images

Cavs veteran James Harden made one request after his trade from the Clippers. Taking habits developed throughout nearly two decades of his NBA career, Harden asked the Cavs for one modification to make things easier, he asked, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

“Harden asked the Cavs if they would mind…staging walk-throughs in hotel ballrooms on game days with no shootarounds on the road,” Vardon reported.

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For Harden, it’s an added layer of focus to help his team on the road.

“It’s just preparation, detail, you get ready for the game,” Harden said “Physically you get out and move around, and mentally you have to be prepared. It’s just preparation man, especially going into this run that we are about to go into. I think the focus is making sure we know who we’re playing against and individual guys and what they like to do with their tendencies. Just going to give us an advantage and hopefully we can play better.”

The Cavs will face the Hawks on the road on Friday.