James Harden moves up postseason scoring list, says key for Cavaliers is getting quality shots

CLEVELAND — Move over, Larry. Cavaliers point guard James Harden jumped over Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird (3,897 points) for 13th place on the NBA playoff scoring list with 3,917 in a 126-113 decision over the Toronto Raptors Saturday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Next on the list is former Cleveland shooting guard and Miami Heat standout Dwyane Wade with 3,954, well within reach of Harden in the 2025-26 playoffs. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder recorded 22 points, a game-high 10 assists and two steals in the opener against Toronto. Game 2 is tonight at Rocket Arena. The double-double was the 39th of Harden's postseason career. His 22-point effort marked his 102nd postseason game with at least 20 points, passing former Los Angeles Lakers forward Elgin Baylor (101) for 16th. With his Game 1 appearance, the 36-year-old Harden became the fifth player in NBA history to appear in the playoffs in 17 or more consecutive seasons (Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker). Malone and Stockton, former Utah Jazz standouts, appeared in 19 consecutive seasons, while Parker also made 17. The Cavs have a 20-7 record with Harden in the starting lineup since making his debut on Feb. 7 at Sacramento. Harden has a 91-83 playoff record in his career yet has never won an NBA championship. He hopes to change that narrative in 2026, but that's a long way off. . "Both teams get a feel for the atmosphere in Game 1," Harden said. "We'll watch film and get better." Harden didn't think the Cavs played well, even though they shot .550 from the field and .500 from the 3-point line and outrebounded the Raptors 33-27. Harden was miffed at his four turnovers. "As long as we can get quality shots, which I think we can, and not turn the ball over, we can keep them out of transition," he said. "They are predicated on getting out in the open floor." Harden added it doesn't matter to him whether the game slows down or runs at breakneck speed. "I'm a pretty good decision-maker," he said. "I might speed the tempo up in my head as to what needs to happen on the offensive end to be successful." Cleveland's offense appears to be starting to gel, scoring 126 points against a good Toronto defense. "We'll see," Harden said. "We have a long way to go. Our job is to stay in the moment and take it one game at a time. Our job is to focus on what we can do better. They are going to come back and be more aggressive on both ends of the floor. We have to hit first. It's the playoffs." Putting points on the board is important. However, the Cavs must continue to defend at a high level to be successful. "You, obviously, have to score more points than the other team to win," Cleveland swingman Max Strus said. "We're going to keep finding way to impact that end of the floor. Defensively is going to be the key for us. We understand that. We're going to keep doing our best on that end of the floor. That will fuel our offense." By the numbers The Cavs are now 13-2 all-time against the Raptors in the playoffs, including 8-0 at Rocket Arena. Cleveland has won each of the previous three series against Toronto (4-2 in 2016, 4-0 in 2017 and 4-0 in 2018). Cleveland has also won 11 straight playoff games against Toronto. The Cavs are 21-1 in first-round series after taking a 1-0 lead. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.