The Cleveland Cavaliers might be approaching an uncomfortable realization about their championship aspirations. The James Harden experiment, which was supposed to push them over the top, might instead be the very thing forcing them to reconsider their future.
Cleveland's 124-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder dropped the Cavaliers to 4-4, a disappointing start for a team that invested heavily in pairing Harden with Donovan Mitchell. Losing twice in three nights to an undermanned Thunder squad only makes the situation more concerning, especially when the Cavaliers were supposed to enter this season as legitimate championship contenders.
Nobody should declare the experiment dead after eight games.