Harden Was the Hero This Time and the Cavs Are One Win From the ECF
Harden Was the Hero This Time and the Cavs Are One Win From the ECF  
Podcast: The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima
Published On: Thu May 14 2026
Description: Ken is still buzzing from the overtime win and breaks down the tactical adjustments that made the difference, pointing to Kenny Atkinson's decision to blitz Cade Cunningham in the final three minutes of regulation as the key coaching move of the entire series, forcing other Pistons to beat them and betting they would not. Ken also rips JB Bickerstaff for losing track of his timeouts while getting too consumed arguing with the refs, calling it the full JB experience and noting that while JB built something real in Detroit, his ref obsession is exactly why his coaching tenures tend to have a ceiling. The bigger story though is James Harden, who put up 30 points in 43 minutes in a road overtime game and has now been a difference maker in three straight games, which Ken argues vindicates the trade even with all the turnovers you have to live with. Ken closes with a prediction: the Cavs close it out at home on Friday and he would be genuinely shocked if this series goes back to Detroit for a Game 7.