The Cleveland Cavaliers have been hopeful to compete for an NBA Championship the last few years, and the franchise went all in when they traded for star guard James Harden.
Alongside Donovan Mitchell, Harden is hopeful to make a deep playoff push and win his first NBA Championship in his 17-year NBA career. The new Cavs guard has had a number of opportunities to win a title, but hasn't been back to the NBA Finals since his first appearance with the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2012.
Harden recently spoke with members of Cleveland media at a Cavs practice, where he broke down what it takes to win an NBA Championship.
“Uhh, Maybe Brooklyn?” Harden responded when asked about the last time his team was close to winning an NBA title. “It's like I've been in this league 17 years and I haven't won a championship. I guess it's really, really hard. Like you have to be really good. You have to stay healthy and you have to have a little bit of luck. But health is the most important thing.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers presently sit in the Eastern Conference's fourth seed with a 39-24 record. They're 3.5 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors for the fifth seed and just one game back of the New York Knicks for the third seed.
In the 127 minutes that James Harden and Donovan Mitchell have shared the floor together, the Cavs have outscored opponents by 11.9 minutes per 100 possessions. Harden and Mitchell have played seven games together, with Cleveland going 6-1 in those games.
Mitchell has missed some time with a groin injury and Harden is dealing with a fracture in his right thumb, so the Cavs still have a ways to go until they can be considered championship contenders.
“You have to be good enough,” James Harden admitted. “We're not good enough. We're not even talking about a championship. So first step is we are good enough and we gotta stay healthy, which we've seen that throughout the course of years and I've dealt with it. Luck hasn't been on my side, but we've seen the last year in the finals. It's a part of the game. So if we can't be that team to where we stay healthy.”
James Harden said he feels like the Cavaliers are "close" to being a championship team.
When was the last time he felt that way about a team he played for: pic.twitter.com/b1bRMsw2ek
— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) March 6, 2026
James Harden played 44 games with the LA Clippers this season prior to the trade, averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three. His scoring average was the highest it had been since his last full season with the Houston Rockets.
In his first nine games with the Cavaliers, Harden is averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 45.6 percent from three.
