‘We’re hooping on vibes’: Cavs have different energy, new belief with James Harden on roster

“There’s definitely a different energy,” Jarrett Allen admitted late Monday night. “Everybody feels a new energy and another belief that we can go even farther than we did last year. The belief is around the team. The last few games we have proven that we can be an amazing team down the stretch and during the game. There’s just a whole new belief and confidence.

“When you see change, you believe things are going to be different and things are going to go in a new direction.”

Around this time last year, even after acquiring a potential needle-moving piece in De’Andre Hunter, there was still an overwhelming feeling of loss around the Cleveland locker room, with beloved and instrumental reserves Georges Niang and Caris LeVert shuttled off to Atlanta.

There was a brief moment of that on Wednesday in Los Angeles, as each Cavalier said goodbye to Darius Garland.

But it was almost immediately replaced by enthusiasm, hope and anticipation.

Mitchell boasted about the team’s ceiling being higher. Coach Kenny Atkinson spoke about a psychological boost.

It wasn’t — and isn’t — about slighting the departed, even though Garland, Hunter and Lonzo Ball (sent to Utah in a salary dump) were statistically the team’s three worst performing players, torpedoing its net rating and raising questions about playoff readiness and viability.

It was — and is — about recognizing what was added.

Schroder is an edgy, steady vet with big-game experience and familiarity in Atkinson’s system. Ellis is a tenacious 3-and-D wing who may be part of some of Cleveland’s closing lineups, depending on situation and matchup.

And then there’s Harden, the mature, dependable, durable, battle-tested starry linchpin. He’s just … better. And it’s OK to admit it.

“It’s two games, but I think James’ arrival, I think it’s given Don a different energy,” Atkinson said. “He knows we are pretty good now. He knows we have a chance.”

Mitchell didn’t want to go that far. He is fully aware of what has been said about his role in the Harden blockbuster. He didn’t want to slight anyone.

But …

“I think you understand what’s at stake,” Mitchell told cleveland.com in a separate, one-on-one conversation before leaving Ball Arena. “You see what’s here. There’s a window. This is the window. This is the time.

“In a sense, the team is going all in. It’s time to go. When you make that move, understanding James’ age and where he’s at in his career, the time is now. There is no ‘runway’ in a sense with a group like that. You sacrifice even more. You believe even more. You go out there and feel it even more.

“I love the pressure of it. I love the expectation of it. I love the questions that have come from it. I love it. We need that. Embrace it. I think it’s a little bit of a jolt for everybody. When you make that move, what are you making it for? To win a championship. That’s what it is. The organization is basically saying, this is the time. And I love it. Now we have to go out there and do it. We are not running from that as a group.”

The first two games of the Harden era haven’t been perfect. There have been mishaps. The Cavs led for just 1:34. For most of the game, the Nuggets looked more polished, more complete and further along. But even with so much working against Cleveland, that belief manifested itself in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs outscored the typically surgical Nuggets, 32-25, in the fourth. Atkinson once again stayed with his pre-planned rotation, pulling Mitchell around the eight-minute mark at a dicey time, wanting to not only have Mitchell fresh for the final stretch but also show faith in the rebuilt roster.

It worked. The comeback started while Mitchell rested. And then he helped finish it, with a little help from his new sidekick, who was once again masterful late.

In 10 fourth-quarter minutes, Harden tallied six points, four rebounds and four assists. He also buried the shot — a game-tying triple, his trademark step-back, with 32.1 remaining.

“We got the matchup we wanted,” Atkinson said. “That’s the NBA now. That was vintage James Harden.”

“I’ve been on the other side of that for a long time,” Mitchell added with a smile. “We ran a play. I knew I was giving it to him and walked over there and let him do his thing. There’s a reason why he’s here. He is who he is. His reputation precedes him. It can be him, can be me, we have Jaylon [Tyson], J.A., Sam [Merrill], Ev [Evan Mobley] when he comes back. It’s so tough to guard. And we haven’t run plays or any of our stuff yet. That’s what is special. When you have that level of player coming to a group that is already together it makes it easy.”

In all, Cleveland scored on seven of its eight possessions to close the game. Mitchell and Harden accounted for 25 of the team’s final 26 points. That includes Mitchell’s game-winning free throws.

But that’s nothing new. Mitchell has done it all year. He is the league’s second-best fourth-quarter scorer, behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Harden addition just makes Mitchell — and the Cavs — that much more lethal in late-game situations.

Harden manipulates defenses, draws attention, gives his team so many options, makes everyone around him better, understands time and score, and almost always ensures a quality possession.

That’s the Harden Effect.

“Our schemes are pretty simple. But he puts the chess pieces in place,” Atkinson said of Harden. “He’s coaching the guys through it all. It’s an absolute luxury. It really helps our role players in situations like that.”

Checkmate.

Over the last two games, a miniscule sample size, the Cavs have an otherworldly 142.0 offensive rating in the fourth quarter.

“They are a very good team. They don’t beat themselves. You have to beat them,” Harden said. “Tonight was one of those instances. We executed down the stretch at both ends.”

As Allen said following Saturday’s rally, the Cavs’ late-game offense has become a no-win pick-your-poison conundrum. It feels inevitable. No panic. No doubt.

Blitz Harden at your own risk. Send two at Mitchell? Good luck. Switch a lesser defender onto either one? Zugzwang.

The Kings had no answers Saturday. The Nuggets were just as helpless. Even when they were successful taking the ball out of Harden’s hands or forcing Mitchell to give it up, Merrill or Tyson drained a triple or Allen soared above the defense for a lob.

Just imagine what it looks like when Mobley returns from his calf injury. Or when the Cavs actually get to practice. Or when Harden becomes more comfortable. Or when his teammates better understand him.

“It’s only Game 2,” Harden said. “We have a long way to go.”

Mitchell is an assassin. Harden is a maestro. Sometimes, there just aren’t any good answers.

“That’s my job, man,” Harden said on his way to the bus. “My job is to elevate each and every individual, whether it’s players or coaches. That’s what I’ve been doing my entire career. Whether it’s me going out there and scoring 40 or impacting the game in other ways.”

Who needs practice? Who needs reps? Who needs on-court chemistry?

It’s all about aura.

“There are so many different things we can do as good as he is and as good as we are as a group,” Mitchell said. “We have kind of figured things out on the fly. When you have it up here, you’re able to figure it out as a group. It speaks to the talent we have in this room. Good vibes and thinking the game at a high level.”