Nothing fazes James Harden anymore. He has seen it all in the playoffs, and he knows that getting into an altercation is part of a high-stakes environment.
In Game 5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round series against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena on Wednesday, Harden got into a shoving match with Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes in the third quarter and another spat with Raptors guard RJ Barrett in the final period.
Cooler heads prevailed in both instances, but Harden probably wanted to light a fire under his teammates, showing everyone that they are not going to be pushed around.
After the game, the former MVP refused to describe what happened with Barnes and Barrett as “scuffles,” as the reporter called them. Instead, he said they were “nothing.”
“This is the playoffs. It’s a pivotal Game 5. We know how important that is. The energy is going to be up,” said Harden in the video posted by Raptors reporter Omer Osman.
No technical fouls were called in the not-scuffles.
The 36-year-old James finished with 23 points, including four three-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
While he was limited to nine points in the last three quarters, Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and Dennis Schroder helped pick up the scoring cudgels for Cleveland.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson touted their defense in the second half, including holding the Raptors to 7-of-28 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Harden is to advance to the second round for the 11th time in his illustrious career.
They will try to kick out the Raptors in Game 6 at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.