Cavaliers getting the full James Harden playoff experience

At the trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers gambled that James Harden could be a difference-maker for them in the playoffs. So far, they're getting the best and the worst of the postseason Harden experience.

Acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers at midseason, Harden is averaging 22 points and six assists through five games of the playoffs. He's also averaging six turnovers and giving the fast-breaking Toronto Raptors opportunities in transition in their hard-fought series.

James Harden is unpredictable in the playoffs

In the first half of Cleveland's 125-120 win in Game 5, the good Harden and the bad Harden balanced each other out. He led all scorers with 19 points before the break, but he also committed five turnovers. The Raptors aren't nearly the three-point shooting team that the Cavs are, but they're faster and more athletic than the more veteran Cavaliers.

In the fourth quarter, Harden's shots weren't falling, but he grabbed three rebounds and delivered an assist, steal and a block. Best of all, he didn't turn the ball over once, nor did anyone on his team. Robbed of their ability to get points off turnovers — they had 28 in the first three quarters — the Raptors only put up 17 in the final frame.

It's been a common theme in Harden's playoff career. He can score in bunches, but he can also give the ball away in bunches. Harden has scored 40 or more points in 11 playoff games, and he's turned the ball over eight or more times in nine playoff games. His teams are 3-6 in those high-turnover games, which includes his eight-turnover night in Cleveland's Game 3 loss.

James Harden and Cleveland Cavaliers need to take care of ball

The Raptors don't have a lot of size, nor do they shoot three-pointers well. What they excel at is harassing other teams with pesky, relentless defenders. That's how they forced 16.1 turnovers per game, fourth in the NBA. Toronto led the league with 22.2 points per game off opponent's turnovers, thanks to elite athletes like Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.

Harden is by far the most egregious offender when it comes to sloppiness with the ball in this series. He has 30 turnovers, more than twice as many as Donovan Mitchell's 14. What makes Harden's turnovers worse is they tend to be live-ball turnovers in the backcourt, very conducive to fast-break buckets, especially since Harden isn't known for getting back on defense.

On paper, the Cavaliers are a superior team to the Raptors — unless they are coughing up the ball. In Cleveland's three wins, they've averaged 15.3 turnovers and tied or won the turnover battle. In their two losses, they've committed 40 turnovers to the Raptors' 24.

It might be that simple. Protect the ball, move on to the second round. It's mainly up to Harden to make that happen in Game 6.