James Harden and the Cavaliers are on the verge of another early exit — and an uncertain future (hello, LeBron?)

James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers are facing an existential crisis in the second round of the NBA playoffs, trailing the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, 2-0. Who could have possibly seen this coming ? A lot of people, actually.

Maybe everyone who has watched the entirety of Harden’s career, and anyone who has witnessed the whole Donovan Mitchell era in Cleveland. Their marriage was supposed to cure what ailed both, only, as it turns out, adding a very good player with a sub-championship ceiling to a very good team with a sub-championship ceiling does not raise their ceilings any higher, no matter their talent. Could the Cavaliers win Games 3 and 4 at home, even things up with the Pistons, and make this a series?

I don’t have much confidence in Cleveland’s ability to win four of the next five games against Detroit’s defense — against a Pistons team that is riding a five-game win streak and a rising confidence level — but even if they were to salvage this series, what makes you believe the Cavs can survive two more rounds? The pressure is mounting in Cleveland. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Gregory Shamus via Getty Images And that is a big deal, mostly because they traded Darius Garland — a 26-year-old two-time All-Star — for the 36-year-old Harden, and they appear no better for it.

Granted, the motivation behind the trade was the unreliable availability of Garland, who performed well when healthy down the stretch for the Los Angeles Clippers. And Harden has been available. It’s just that his playoff production is not consistent with his All-Star-level performance during the regular season, to put it most kindly.