The Cleveland Cavaliers believed in a miracle, and the miracle came. Motivated by desperation, they turned around Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons by going on a 9-0 run to force overtime. All they need to do is win one of the two remaining games, and Donovan Mitchell and Co. will be in their first conference finals. However, it’s never over until it’s over. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers aren’t concerned about getting complacent with one foot in the corridor to match up against the Knicks.

According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, there’s a viral illness going around the Cavaliers. “Sam Merrill was violently ill on the off day between games 4 and 5, as a stomach bug (different from Atkinson’s upper respiratory bug) is also coursing through the team,” Vardon wrote.

Merrill still managed to play his regular minutes in Game 5, contributing 6 points and a steal. But Woike’s suggesting it’s a stomach bug that is latching on to other players as well.

That is a worrying sign for the Cavaliers, who are also dealing with an illness in Kenny Atkinson. The revered head coach is also dealing with a stomach bug, but not the same kind as Sam Merrill. As of now, that’s all the information available. Vardon didn’t have any other names affected, or just how serious the illness is. Could it cause any players to miss the possible series clincher tomorrow? We really don’t know.

 

The only thing that can be said with certainty is that the Cavaliers are preparing to throw a mean uppercut when they host the Detroit Pistons tomorrow. “Do whatever you got to do to be prepared for Game 6 and from the beginning of the game, we got to knock their a—out,” James Harden said in the Cavaliers locker room immediately after winning Game 5. They’re aware that the job isn’t done.

Nobody is treating it as such. Illness or not, Cleveland’s demeanor is that of a team ready to throw everything at the Pistons in Game 6.

Will James Harden fight his past demons in Game 6?

After going down 2-0, the Cavaliers have had some exceptional performances to secure a lead in the series. Winning three straight games wouldn’t have been possible without James Harden’s massive resurgence. Game 5 was more of the vintage Beard, scoring 30 points, including some critical buckets in the final stretch of the game.

He’s also been a great leader for the team. Harden highlighted that opportunities, such as securing a place in the conference finals, don’t come often. Neither does playing in a Game 6. But in Harden’s case, the home run stretch of a series is where the problems have generally occurred.

It’s not an illness, but a pattern. Stephen A. Smith said, “The 30 points last night, it was nice to see, but I wasn’t surprised. James Harden can do that. Ladies and gentlemen, the issue with James Harden and his flaws in the postseason, ain’t games one through five, it’s game six and seven”.

The 11-time All-Star has been to a Game 6 in each of the last five years. Four times, the series ended with him on the losing side. Harden is only averaging 16.8 points with 9.6 assists, shooting 37.3% from the field in his past five Game 6 outings. The struggles existed even against the Raptors, where the Beard scored just 16.

In such games, efficiency really doesn’t matter as much as you would think. The Cavaliers need James Harden to be engaged and confident. If the shot presents itself, he must take it, even if he’s shot 1-10 throughout the game. Being relentless is one way of always giving the team a chance of winning.

And his contributions will be key in deciding how this series goes for the Cavs.

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